Pinpoint Zero
by Rocci
Summary: In the wake of the war, new ideals would be given. New and old faces would fight together and against one another and ultimately, choices would be made to decide fates. This is the history of 15 years ago. Prequel to "Pinpoint Lifeline".
1. All That Once Stood

You, the reader, are now beginning the long and epic adventure into the prequel of "Pinpoint Lifeline." Which, yes, I admit I based the prequel name on the same prequel of Fate/Stay Night "Fate Zero". However, the name is the only thing it remotely shares. Unlike "Lifeline", "Zero" is going to be rated "M" instead of the "T". I'm doing this mainly because even with "Lifeline" sometimes I was really pushing it. This is an EL fiction, and EL isn't exactly kid friendly. This way I can write to my heart's content and not have to worry about ratings. If I feel like going gore fest, full on sex with every possible curse here, I can do so.

Not to keep you all, please enjoy the tale.

A huge thanks to HayashiOkami for beta reading the chapters.

_Pinpoint Zero_

**Chapter 1: All That Once Stood**

The leaves upon the ground rustled gently in the autumn wind, their array of colors bringing a rather splendid beauty into the graying landscape. Strolling by without care, the people chatted, holding their large coats tightly around their body. It was a small town, only holding a population of two hundred. Peaceful and tranquil, it was the kind of place that was not without first world attributes but rather a place that just felt the need to go without it. That is to say that while they certainly understood and accepted such things as technology, it was just easier to live the lifestyle of simplicity. No, to say it was easier was wrong; it would be better to say that it was more accepted to live a simpler life.

One young boy found himself running happily through the streets, his slightly aging father huffing wildly to keep up with him. "Wait…I can't…keep up," he panted and yet his voice broke slightly as he spoke. For those around him, his words were unique and not that of the language spoken in the country. Still racing along the concrete sidewalks, the young boy accidently ran into an elderly lady, throwing her grocery bags into disarray. Mouthing off a stream of apologies, the elderly lady at first wasn't going to be angry with the 5 year old boy. He was young and vivacious just like any other child would've been. However she was caught off guard by words that she didn't know.

"I'm sorry I just…" she began, leaving the boy also confused by the differences in words until his father finally came up, holding his chest."I am so sorry madam, whatever he knocked down I will help pay for."

"No. No. It is alright, he's just a young one that's all," she spoke, leaving the child to look between his father and the old lady with a look of surprise. For him, they were speaking gibberish, some unknown words that didn't make an inkling of sense to him except for a few choice words. However he also knew that this language was also common here and that his father and mother both spoke it fluently. They though thought that it would be better for him to actually learn his mother's language, as he would spend large amounts of time in his mother's homeland with her family. After speaking with the woman, the boy's father bent low on his knees, grasping the child's shoulders.

"What have I told you about running off like that, Yin?"

The young boy, Yin Sandersas looked away crestfallenly. "I just wanted to play around father, I'm sorry." His father sighed, picking himself back up, and looking at his son with a less severe glare.

"Just stay by my side when we're outside, alright. It's dangerous… to be out here alone."

Yin nodded once, hugging his father in the way a young child  
>would to get out of a situation in which he felt he might get in trouble for. "I'm sorry father; I won't disobey you ever again." With those words Yin and his father strolled through the town before coming up to a small restaurant on the outskirts. While Since Yin couldn't understand the language, he let his father order for him. He may not understand that the Hungarian language but he certainly liked the Hungarian food. Scarfing it down, his father was almost afraid that he was going to choke.<p>

"Y-Yin! Please don't eat…that much at one time, chew." With his cheeks full at the time, Yin's only answer was to give a small yelp and slow down a slight bit. It was a normal day for a father and son, but soon Sandersas Senior's attention was caught by the small television located in the corner of the booth right above Yin's head. Although Yin wouldn't have understood what was being said, his father could and what was being said on the news sent shivers down his spine.

"Over 10 people have been put to death in the middle of Baja City. Military opposition has been set there and the people are now living in oppressive fear. All security measures and armed forces have failed to stop the oppression. Reports state that Baja will be completely taken over within the next 3 days, making it the 37th city to be overtaken by the oppression. We do have video recordings directly from Baja. I should warn that this video is in real time and thus we warn viewers of the possibility of mature scenes."

The screen went white, shook, and then changed to single image of one man sitting comfortably as if he was a king on the stone steps leading up to what might have been a large library. Something was sprawled around him, the blurry yet unmistakable image of red blood. Yin's father swallowed deeply, noticing also the deep gazes of concern that others in the restaurant were also giving the television. A sound was made, like a shivering singular noise that took a moment to be registered as clapping. The man on the television was clapping, shortly and monotonously while smiling a short, near fatherly like grin.

"Good day to you, my fellow kin of Hungary. I would first like to say that I hope you are all doing wonderful this fine day. I would like to welcome you all to Baja, a fine city it is. In a few short days the entire place's population will be here forth cut by a third, but no worries my friends, I have no intentions of outright wiping out the place. I merely like to state that as I continue my reign of sending this word into perfect suffering, that I allow not only the people of Hungary but all the people of the world that I do not plan on stopping until I cease to breathe. So in that regard, I would like you all to relax, enjoy your meals, play with your kids, make love to your wives, and do whatever makes you happy. Do all the things that brings a smile to your face and when I come, to take over your little cities and towns, when your men are ripped, mothers are torn, sons are slashed and daughters are raped, I ask of you just one little question.

"…Have you yet to awaken from your silly little dreams?"

Long strands of blonde hair were pulled into the back so that it streamed down his neck and shoulder, and a large onyx coat covered the broad shoulders of the 29 year old man. But the most frightening aspect of his appearance was the thin black rods that poked out of the back of his neck and from the sides of his shoulders.

*Click*

The television turned off and truth be told nobody was going to complain.

"I don't think we need to keep watching that, not with children here," the owner said solemnly, nobody talking but all agreeing. For Yin Sandersas, he was only dimly aware that something was going on in the world. A child that was oblivious to the dangers as his father looked at him with a worried expression. Four years ago, a man of unknown origins had started to ransack small countries around Europe under the notion that he was going to create as he put it "a world of ordered suffering". The way he put it, he would usurp the powers that governed these countries and place himself as king. Then, and for most people this was confusing, he was going to set the world into ordered chaos. At first people thought it was some sort of overthrow of the governments to form anarchy but from the man's words alone, this was not what he wanted. He wanted order, he wanted a government, and he wanted a place that was not anarchy or chaos. But he wanted suffering, as if to expect a world where people would scream, die, and suffer under normal circumstances.

A child born into a world would learn to kill not for reason, not for gain, but just because it was expected from him or her. (These children were) raised to believe that a man running at you with a knife was perfectly acceptable and that you too should grab your knife and strike before they struck you. It was the kind of words that only came from a true madman and for the most part, people just ignored him. He was insane, wacked out in his stupid illusions, and well in need of a room in an asylum. Yet the first country fell, overtaken by 200 armed men who were sympathetic to his cause.

Sympathetic?

No, even to those who have been set under the wicked one's demands, who have had their children, friends, families and acquaintances murdered in front of them, those that served him are not sympathetic to his cause. Yet at the same time they are not forced under his will either. Something else was driving them to serve and commit mass murder under his regime.

Such madness would not go far, right? How wrong everyone was, because it soon became apparent that those following him did not consist of just a few dozens, or hundreds or even thousands of people. All across Europe were followers of the usurping king, following his directions and sending hell to places across the countryside. It wasn't just mere raids; these people were well armed, well trained, easily taking down any small time security measures that foolishly tried to overcome them. 1/5 A fifth of Europe in four years was set into terror, all of it caused by a single man.

The Twisted Relic

The Mad King

Demon

The Wicked One

A man whose name and nicknames signaled impending doom.

The Incorrigible…Vladimir Cents.

* * *

><p>The small hospital room in Diyarbakir, Turkey was at once surrounded by the high pitched wails of newborn life. A mother and her oldest daughter huddled together upon the clinical bed, partly worried and partly exhilarated. A few minutes seemed like hours until finally, the young doctor finally emerged holding the papers and smiling happily at them. He spoke in thick Turkish to them.<p>

"We've gone through the tests, everything actually seems alright. Her breathing is normal, her heart rate is normal; everything is fine from what we can see. The protrusions from her head I can only say are just a bone defect. I'm afraid that there really isn't anything we can do about them, but I can safely say that they should not impair her health one bit."

The mother sighed in relief, fearing that the mutations might have had some negative effects on her baby. Knowing that the child would be perfectly fine, she nuzzled it closer to her breast as the older daughter poked her head over to look at her newborn sister. She was about 7 years old, her black hair tied in a single ponytail at the back. Her outfit consisted of a simple but pretty green dress and around her neck were two unique objects. One was a simple looking thing that might have looked like a watch, the other was an emblem emblazoned with a silver sword. An object given to her when she part of a children's fencing club. While the emblem represented her love for swords, not just because of their sharpness but many other things such as how they were created or the history behind them, the watch was different. She didn't hold great admiration for such thing as time, but the watch represented her favorite thing of all.

Magic, more importantly, magical illusions.

Around the age of 5 her mother and father had brought her to a magician's show that was passing by through their town. Instantly she fell in love with all the tricks and absolutely adored it when the magician pulled the old "coin behind the ear trick", something that nearly sent her into a fit of surprised giggles. Even now she would put her hand up to her head just to see if there was any loose change back there. The watch that hung around her neck actually belonged to the magician who said that it contained "magical powers". For the young child, such words only increased her love for magic and illusions. Often times at home she would practice with cards, simple tricks for the most part until her parents finally brought her an actual magic play set. She certainly wasn't a pro but for some of the simpler tricks she was actually quite good and now that she had a new member of the family, she couldn't wait to teach her baby sister how to play.

Reaching up, she gently touched the pink hair fuzz around the young child's head, making sure to be careful. She knew that she had to be delicate around the little baby. As her finger touched the very tip of the child's nose, the little thing squealed silently and finally opened her eyes.

"Ah…" Her older sister's smile was playful and curious. "Look how red her eyes are mama…" she squealed happily. "They look like little rubies…" Gazing at her newborn child, the mother had to admit to herself that was she was quite surprised by her baby. Along with the horned protrusions her baby had vivid pink hair and bright crimson colored eyes. Like any mother she was at first a bit concerned, especially with the first aspect. But as the doctor had declared her baby perfect healthy, she was easily able to ignore these things.

Those crimson eyes, blinking to awaken her from her sleep finally opened up wide, tiny fingers gripping together as she took in her surroundings. A soft coo escaped her lips as her sister gently held her little hand. "Hey there, I'm your big sister Orlana," her sister whispered happily.

"Oh…" Such a cute sound, her small hands reaching up and tugging on the little watch that hung around young Orlana's neck. "Do you like that, Carentorzulan?" she asked, gently holding it up for her but not letting go. Even Orlana knew how babies liked to taste things. Carentorzulan, her baby sister, merely looked curiously at it before reaching up to something new. In this case, the black strands of Orlana's hair. Tugging it, her curiosity only growing grew more until she finally found her mother's gaze.

A happily family.

* * *

><p>"Good afternoon Uncle Ishori!" The shrill voice came from a young woman of about 20 years old. She was of average height, her hair an amazing color of violet with two white horns sticking from the sides of her head. She had a beautiful but very confident face, one that stemmed from her father's loving but somewhat strict upraising upbringing. Unlike most women her age, she wore very masculine outfits including khakis and a single thick jacket that even had it been zipped up would've done little to hide her well-endowed chest.<p>

Ishori was a young man in his early 40s as well as her favorite uncle, although he wasn't related to her by blood. He was actually her father's half-brother but that didn't make much of a difference to her. He had always remained as her favorite uncle, the kind of person that she could always go to for help. Especially considering the job her father held. Yes, her father loved her just as she loved him, but both of them knew that he held an important job and in some cases, he wouldn't return home for weeks or even months, having to transverse with his unit around South America and sometimes into the States as well. This week he was located nearby but had to remain where he was for the next few days.

Perking her head up, a new person entered the room. A man in his mid-20s, his blonde hair pulled cut short. He wore black jeans and a green shirt with a military slogan emblazoned in Spanish. He had on a small coat as well, though he didn't exactly wear it. Instead it was tightly wrapped around his neck until he finally took it off and hung it up. "Afternoon Mister Alya, how have you been doing today?" he asked, his voice polite and rather timid for someone who was quite muscular.

"Can't complain Nicholas…" Ishori mumbled, leaning back into his chair.

"You know Ishori, you could stop being so lazy and help out around here." A new voice, a young woman in her early 20s had entered into the room from another one, her long hair plastered over sweet face. Why While her words may have been patronizing, it was clear that it was only meant as a joke because she as well as Ishori both laughed aloud. He got up, brushing his thick hair out of his eyes.

"I'm sorry dear, you're doing all the work (and or but) I'm just being a bum." Getting up, he gave a quick thumbs up to Nicholas who returned the gesture, grinning widely while nodding politely to the young woman.

"I'm glad you managed to get some time off of work Nicholas."

"It was no problem at all Jessica, the unit boss decided to let us all leave early," Nicholas said calmly, placing his hand on the purple haired woman's shoulder as he spoke. "I was a bit surprised I have to say, hahaha, you know how the boss likes to keep us." Nicholas, like the young woman's father who also worked in the same environment, he was a trained soldier who had been over seas a few times when he was 18 and 19. Upon hearing loud commotions and groans from her husband, Jessica sighed and went out to help Ishori. Though Through small, close inspection would show that Jessica Alya was also pregnant with child. In a few short months she would soon give birth.

Alone with the horned woman, Nicholas moved over and lightly pressed his lips against her own. Surprised at his sudden intrusion into her person space, her eyes closed shortly thereafter while her hands wrapped around his waist. Letting the warmth sink in, she opened her lips just slightly enough to bite his lower lips, giggling before letting go. It wasn't passionate in the sense that it was a kiss of love and acceptance, one that a wife would give a husband. Close enough really, as Nicholas Vega just happened to be her fiancé. They had met two years ago; one thing lead to another and the foundations of romance were soon brought into light. They shared many interests and he was quite surprised at how quickly he was accepted by her father, perhaps being the fact that both of them shared the same job aspect.

Of course he still remembered the day he told him that he proposed to his daughter. The conversation had been a bit interesting.

"I love her sir, she's like this…gem that holds even more beauty inside. We share the same interest, the same ideas, everything. She's more than beautiful, almost exotic and the things we share are amazing. But…even though I've asked, even though she said yes, I don't think I can go on without your approval and…"

"I approve…"

"And…huh?"

"Are you deaf, boy? I said I approve of you marrying my daughter. I've known you long enough to see that you will love her for the rest of your life. All I ask is that you never stop loving her, because if you hurt her…I'll be forced to break your neck."

"…Eh?"

Surprisingly to say these words actually didn't come as too much of a shock to Nicholas. The first time he had met the woman's father he actually thought he was going to shoot him in the face for existing. He wore this serious expression, no doubt caused by his duties as a military officer and more than once thought he was going to order him to give a good 100 push-ups. Nicholas realized however that he was much kinder than he let on. Nicholas actually saw him as a father figure, well, grandfather now as he was in his 50s now.

"You know…" he whispered, brushing his hands through the purple strands of her exotic hair, "you look absolutely stunning Veronica." His words brought a blush to her face, loving the compliment. But there was something else becoming etched on her features, a smile that had Nicholas been able to see just a few seconds before might have saved him. No warning given, his feet left the ground and he slammed hard on his back, groaning and looking up at the smirking woman.

"You should be more careful Nicholas…"

"Guh…Ah…no fair Ver…"

Veronica had an ability, something only that her family and loved ones knew. For her, they were hands, ghostly arms that she discovered she could use around the age of 5 though she only got real control over them 5 years later. Such a phenomenon was not able to be explained, her father couldn't, her now deceased mother couldn't, and it went beyond normality. She had a gift, something that her family knew, but she vividly remembered the words her father had told her.

"I don't care if you use this…power around here. I don't know what it is but I just want you to be careful when you do use it Veronica." None of them knew what it was, especially because of the fact that it was invisible to everyone but her. The only thing she could tell them was that they were hands and that was as far as her knowledge for it went as well. As a child she didn't understand why it had to be kept such a secret, as she grew older, she realized that her powers could cause issues for her family. Therefore, she only used her powers for important stuff or in the case of right now, messing with her fiancé.

Veronica helped Nicholas back up, kissing him again and apologizing. How did one keep such an amazing thing a secret? Well it was kind of hard to prove that a girl was a psychic when said powers couldn't be seen, and if Veronica didn't feel like showing it, there was no proof of her ability. It was good because as a child there was more than one case in which she would accidently use her powers, cause strife and when proof was given, she would innocently tilt her head and deny everything. Sometimes people just held their heads and decided to stop drinking the alcohol, some however actually got violent. One man actually grabbed her arm when she was 13, demanding that she stop lying and show the others what she could do.

Her father quickly grabbed him, bashing him into the floor and stating that if he ever touched his daughter like that again, it would be the last thing he would ever do in his miserable young life. This noted the love her father felt for her was as well as the future she wished to see. She wanted to be a part of her father's life, a person who also fought in the military, though she had to admit she didn't want to be as strict (Not sure what you're trying to say here…does she want to be strict or not?). Or at the very least she didn't want to frighten people into thinking she would suddenly murder them out of the blue. He wasn't frightening; he was just strict and confident. But when he smiled, it was friendly and kind, where all things like military were erased while friends and family took its place. He may have been old, he may have been strict, but he was still her father and she loved him deeply.

"I'm going to help your aunt and uncle, take care," Nicholas said shortly, going into the other room. Alone again, Veronica gazed longingly at the ring on her finger. In a year they would be officially married, a time she couldn't wait for.

* * *

><p>Dressed in a green uniform with four stars emblazed on his chest, one man watched the men race around the track, jumping through hoops, walking, or in some cases crawling through mud. "Who said you could quit? Keep going!" His roars were thick, but they were also motivational words that kept them going. He was a man whose appearance screamed strength. Standing at over two meters in height, his most unique attribute happened to be his hairstyle. One side was complete shaved, bald to the very skin while the other half was covered in thick hair. Muscular and strong, he was the captain of the unit and second in command next to their general.<p>

"Captain Girukuson! There's a phone call for you!" one young solder called out, racing towards him. Vorono paused, gazing over his shoulders. "Who is it?" he demanded, having no time to speak to unnecessary people. Upon hearing that it was Veronica, his demeanor changed and he took the phone. This time he spoke in a more polite manner. "Hello Veronica, it's good to hear from you."

"Hi Vorono, long time no see!"

Vorono Girikuson was the military captain and longtime friend to her father. When she had first met him, she was astounded at his amazing height and strength and soon she discovered something else about him. He was nice, not just in the kind Good Samaritan kind of way. He was too nice, like stop in the middle of the street, take your shirt off for a woman to cross over the puddle and then adopt some puppies kind of nice. Growing older she actually wandered how he became a military officer until she realized that, much like her father, Vorono was able to be both nice and strict when he needed to be.

"Vorono, I was wondering if my father was around. If he's not busy I'd like to talk to him."

"Of course, I'll see if he's open and if he is, I'll send you over to him," Vorono stated.

A minute later.

"Hello…" a stern voice answered from the other end.

"Good afternoon father," Veronica said, speaking politely. "I hope I'm not bothering you. Vorono said he was only going to send me over to you if you weren't busy."

"I am not Veronica, though I can't speak for too long. How are you doing?"

"Can't complain…can't complain. Nicholas just got back as well."

"That's good…tell him that I said hello. How are my brother and your aunt doing as well? It's been a month since I've seen either of them."

"They're both doing great, Ishori's still a bit lazy though and Aunt Alya is irked. Can't blame her though, she's pregnant, but he has good intentions. Well father I just wanted to call to say hi, I know that you're very busy so I won't keep you. I love you."

"I love you too…"

And the call ended almost as soon as it begun, normal for both of them.

* * *

><p>(Sounds a bit awkward. Maybe something like: Each step of the generals boots could be heard as the men's eyes darted about, fixing on the general when he came out.)Each step of the boots could be heard as eyes finally darted when the general came out. He stomped forth, black slit eyes starring sternly at the men who came together in an orderly line. Single As one, they gave a choreographed salute to their general before awaiting orders.<p>

"Split into teams of five, groups of eight. I want five laps now! After that, head over to Area B in said groups!"

"Sir! Yes sir!"

Watching them leave, the general leaned against the wall of one of the buildings, letting his gaze set upon the blue skies above him. "Hello Vorono…" his voice spoke to the captain who strolled up to chat with the general.

"Hey there, still being as strict as ever I see…" Vorono said jokingly, earning a short laugh from the man.

"I have to be, I'm the general after all."

"I just mean that you could laugh every once in a while when around the boys and not just me. Either way it seems things are getting more hectic in Europe. Recent reports have come that Baja has fallen."

"I see, so Cents is still attempting his raid across the country, spilling his ideals of suffering. What do you think we'll have to do, Vorono?"

"We're probably going to have to get involved. Cent's military power has been quite strong, much stronger than what Europe and to be truthful, even what we were expecting. Sir, if I had to give my personal opinion, I think in two months most, we'll be heading over there."

"…I see…continue with your work Captain Girikuson."

"Sir…yes sir."

Starring up into the bright South American sun, the light gleamed upon the 55 year old military General... Garder F. Morotisan.

* * *

><p>Character Bios<p>

Veronica Q. Morotisan: Veronica is a 20 year old Diclonius woman and daughter of Garder F. Morotisan. Having been raised by her military father, she is very confident and quite capable of taking care of herself with her without her vectors. She has expert military skills that are also shared by her fiancé Nicholas. Extremely brave, she isn't one to let people push her down.

Garder F. Morotisan: Garder is a 55 year old military general and biological father of Veronica. Though he puts himself as a strict and overbearing individual, he is in fact very kind and gentle and those who really know him often get the rare treatments of a laugh out of him. Despite his general attitude he deeply loves his daughter, friends and other family members.

Ishori Alya: Ishori is Veronica's uncle by family as well as Garder's half-brother. Though sometimes lazy, he is more than willing to help others including his wife Jessica. He is the biological father of Elrya Alya.

Jessica Alya: Ishori's wife, she is a kind woman and aunt to Veronica. She is the biological mother of Elrya Alya.

Nicholas Vega: Nicholas is a young man who also served in the military and is the fiancé of Veronica. He is a kind young man, though not without his strengths. He'll do whatever he must to protect his wife whom he deeply loves.

Vorono Girikuson: The military Captain and second in command after Garder. He is Garder's closest friend. Possessing both incredible strength and military intelligence, he is also vastly kind to the point of being almost a pacifist which often confuses other who find out that he is a military officer.

Vladimir Cents: The twisted man who seeks to send the world into total suffering. He has amassed his own army, taking over large parts of Europe. At first ignored as a threat in the beginning, his campaign has ultimately shown that he is very much deadly.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: You, the reader, have just finished the first chapter. Much like Lifeline I expect to make "Pinpoint Zero" a very long and interesting story, both to give an amazing plot and also to fill in plot points left out in "Lifeline." I am currently working on corrections of Lifeline as I post this.<p>

So what will happen next time...on "Pinpoint Zero?"

Please R&R (Don't want to have to demand Reviews like I did last time)


	2. Angelic Devils

_Pinpoint Zero_

**Chapter 2: Angelic Devils**

"It's far too dangerous for Yin to stay here, you know what happened to Baja, and it's only a matter of time before he comes here as well." Yin's father spoke to his wife in stern Hungarian as a way to keep Yin from eavesdropping on them. The young child had stood curiously on the steps for a few minutes but when the language had yet to become understandable he ultimately got bored and went to play in his room. This was not a matter of choices because all logical thought lead to but one conclusion. The young Japanese woman, Hisaia Sandersas did not need to delve on the matter at all. Her son took priority over even her own life and in this world of terror and unforgiving madness she could not dare to leave him here.

"I understand Karoly…" Her answer was simple but stern; she didn't have to think a single second about it. The only thing she spoke was the specifics that needed to be said. "I'll take him, besides he's just not…used to around here. I know that he has more friends in my home country than he does here and he'll definitely be better there." Her husband nodded without speaking, allowing his wife to continue. "I think it might be best if he continues to be raised and educated in Japan, it'll allow him to get out more and get a proper education too." For Hisaia, because of Yin's inability to speak or understand the native language of Hungary, she had homeschooled him for his entire life. While she was certainly an adept teacher, she felt it would be better to be around his other peers.

Yin's father's eyes gravitated to the stairs, starring at the room in which his son played without knowing a single thing. A young child who only knew that something was happening in the world but of no way to discern what that something might be. There was absolutely no need to explain things that would upset him more, let him live in bliss. Let him live blissfully unaware that he will in a few years fall in love. Let him live blissfully unaware that in a few years, he will never see the light of day again. For now, let him live blissfully unaware of all the evils in the world.

* * *

><p>Two men sat at the round wooden table, dim lights giving the inn a natural misty glow. Clangs of mugs filed the room before the deep swallowing of liquor dripped down hungry throats. Some men near the end were playing poker, worn out cards shifting through their fingers as their faces were set seriously. One man had a rather large amount of cash; either earned through amazing skill or, as the others were glaring at him for, unforgivable cheating. At the bar, the tender nonchalantly wiped his shot glasses, smiling internally at the drunken scene of men stumbling out the door. What did he care about their positions? If they got hit by a car in their drunken waddles, so be it. He earned his money, he earned his living, and he was content.<p>

"You son of a bitch!"

The outrage surprised the room, though only in a biological sense. A loud noise was made, the body automatically reflexes. Mentally nobody was surprised, just some poor idiot who tried to cheat his way through a classical game. The man who had been winning large amounts of cash wore a thick hooded coat that hid his features, although his body structure was indeed foreboding. His antagonist however was no pushover either. While his height was not as a great, his girth easily allowed for 160 kilograms (350 lbs.) added to his amazing muscular structure. The only reason he didn't fully lift the man up into the air was because they were both in a sitting position situated in a round area. Gruff hands grasped the collar of the hooded man, lifting him so that knees of the man hit the table. "Ah! Guah…!" Spluttering uncontrollably, he raised his hands defensively, shaking them to be let free.

"You think you can just come in here and do whatever the hell you like! We don't play with fuckers like you!" With anger and booze dripping from his face, he viciously shook the man, his voice moaning pathetically.

"S-Sorry….I just thought…I'd have a little fun…" He gave a half exasperated laugh that only enticed the anger from his fully muscular adversary.

"You must think this is a fucking joke! Hiding behind that hood, let me clean you up!"

*BAM!*

Hard, stiff and packed with unrestrained power, the unknown man was dealt a furious blow to his hidden face. Unseen, it must have looked obscene from the red splatter that shot from the dark recesses of the hood. Some of the more sober men narrowed their eyes. While they certainly weren't going to let a cheating piece of shit get away easily, if their comrade got out of control they would have to intervene.

"Ugh…Gah…Ah…"

Still conscious, he had to be given credit. Snorting loudly, the attacker brought his hand forward, placing it on the black hood. "Now then fucker, let's see what that shit for a face looks like…now?" As he pulled the hood off, his as well as everyone else' expression turned white as a ghost. Still spluttering, still choking on fine blood that ran from his nostrils and nose, Vladimir Cents finally circled his blood red eyes up to his assailant.

"What are you doing?" His question was asked with a small smile on his face, broad teeth shining through the red froth that smothered his lips. "Don't just stop there…I'm still here! Hit me again! Hit me more! You can't just hit me once and call it quits!

"…Not enough!"

There was no longer anger now, just the most primal sense of fear. They knew that face; it was on the television, the news, and the very streets were lined with his face. He was the madman who overtook Baja, the madman who had usurped multiple cities and even countries. Vladimir's thick hand grasped the collar of his attacker, bringing his fear reddened face directly to his own bloody one. Without warning he placed his pistol on the sweaty forehead, nonchalantly clicking the trigger like some sort of child with a new toy. "Go on…attack me."

"Uhhhh!" This time, the whimper that came from the drunken beast was no longer drunk and no longer animalistic. He was like a mouse to the cat, shivering in the wake of a man who had shown that he wasn't to be trifled with. One loud noise interrupted the moment of whimpering, a flash of a knife from the man's friend aiming for Vladimir's neck. It never reached, only blood splatters the sky from the head of the would-be assailant as he dropped mundanely to the floor, a gaping hole in his head. He wasn't shot by Cents; his hand was still firmly placed on his gun, pressing it even more tightly to the fresh forehead skin.

Others shrieked, looking around for the shooter, the bartender putting his small handgun back before the others could notice. Now as pandemonium as stuck in, Vladimir Cents has entered the fray, a killer of the most obscene sorts. Adding to that, since a new shooter, a new killer was in the same room, not no trust could be made at all. Vladimir clicked his tongue, instilling another set of primal fear in his victim. "Do you know…what the smells of a man's brains are like? Do you know what it sounds like, right before you die…right before that millisecond…what if feels like to have your medulla oblongata spray out of the back of your skull?"

"Hnnnn! Please don't kill me!" A single plead.

"They say…that when a person is decapitated, they can be aware of themselves for almost as long as a minute. Don't you think that that would be an excellent way to die?" His question in the most horrifically displeasing voice only made the man shake his head rapidly. Fresh tears of horrified sadness were soaking his once drunk features.

"No?" Vlad asked, looking confused despite his rhetorical question. "I think it would be splendid, I mean just think about it…" He leaned over, still pressing the gun to his head but moving his other arm over the shoulder as if greeting some sort of drinking buddy. "Your head is sliced off; the very spinal cord has been severed. Something's holding you up, and you look down, and you see your body. You're conscious, you haven't lost any memories, you're completely aware of everything. It's not like your brain was hit, you have all the feelings that the brain can provide. Blood spills from your neck, trying to reach a heart that doesn't exist. You reflexively try to move limbs that will no longer move. 30 seconds have probably passed and you realize it…

"You'll die…" His last words were a whisper, the click of the trigger indicating just a few centimeters for firing.

"Ugh! Ah! Ah! Please! Please! Please don't kill me!"

"You want to die! You can't fathom it! You want to die! You can't survive any longer your mind is telling you that! You want to scream but you can't scream because your voice box has been destroyed!

"OH GOD, IT'S FUCKING WONDERFUL ISN'T IT!

"BANG!"

"AHHHHHHH!" A high pitched shrill of undeniable terror filled Cents' ears like serene music from the most splendid violins. No shot rang out, just the words as Vladimir dropped the shivering shrieking sack of meet that clawed at his hair.

"Heh…how quaint…" Vladimir spoke softly, ignoring the shrieks that would fill the inn for a whopping total of 15 minutes. He walked over to the bar, smiling fatherly at the tender. "Thanks man, I might have died if it wasn't for you."

Bowing deeply, the bartender answered back. "It is my pleasure Master Cents. I must say you were rather dark today."

"Keh! I have to have some fun…speaking of which, my finger is still on the trigger."

"I understand, please feel free to do as you want." At those words, Vladimir casually pressed his gun to the man's head, and with a single action blew out his brains. The bartender didn't make a single gesture of fear or attack. In fact, he looked kind of pleased as the half blown out head collapsed onto the bar. Ruffling the man's black hair, Cents clicked his tongue and walked out of the inn, whistling a tune from a show he had heard as a child many years ago. His figure was noticed well before he began inserting his rods into his body, screams of undeniable terror gripping the area. "Ahem!"

Several steps and 10 people stepped forward; at first they looked hardly any different from all the other bystanders. They wore normal clothing and one could tell that they weren't from the native land of the area. In fact, they all had the appearance of a different race. Vladimir Cents raised his hand to head height and the instant bowing of 10 heads to their King greeted the poor commoners who had the unfortunate point of being there. "Welcome my friends; we've lost a fine fellow, very loyal to me. I would like to firstly allow a moment of silence…"

…

…

"Yah!" Shrill, no older than 5 years old and accompanied by cry much louder from an older woman, Vladimir felt something soft punch his right lower leg.

"Huh?" Partly confused and partly curious, his eyes travel down to see a cute little girl with a brown ponytail below him. She wore a white dress, almost pristine before slender arms wrapped around her tiny waist, a young woman, her mother shielding her from his terrible gaze.

"I-I'm sorry! She wasn't thinking, please don't kill Celiel…please don't kill my daughter!" she begged from the very core of her heart.

"What a nice child…" Vladimir muttered happily, bending low on his knees and reaching out. The mother only shields her child more and the young girl whimpers while Vladimir rubbed her head sweetly. "You know, I heard some good music at the inn there, it was great but…it was more like an orchestral to say the least. I feel like listening to something softer, like a harp. Harps are lovely instruments, soft fingers plucking delicately at the thin strings." Ending his words, his snapped fingers lead to two screams, one from the girl and one from her mother as two of Cent's men violently tore the girl from her mother's grip, throwing her to the ground and pinning her tiny arms with their feet. Before the mother could reach out, she suddenly found her arms pinned behind her back and Vladimir's tight fingers pressing her head down so that she was forced to look at her fallen daughter. To make matters worse, his fingers crept to the skin of her eyelids, lifting them up so that it was impossible for her to close them.

"That's your daughter right? Such a cute girl…"

"Please! Please don't kill her! Please don't kill her!"

"I'm scared mommy! Ahhhh!"

Vladimir on his part only sighed. "Seriously, I'm trying to make a world of perfect suffering, not complete annihilation of the human race. Why do you assume I'm just here to kill? Silly little dreamer you are." His words gave no comfort to her, nor to the girl shaking and trying to free herself.

Her mother once again begged, "Oh god please…just please…don't kill her…"

"Don't worry, she'll live…" Vladimir whispered, giving a single nod of his head to one of his other men who walked over to the daughter. A moment of silence, the mother staring at him then at her daughter who still whimpered sadly for her mother's protection. Cents tightened his grip on the woman's head, leaning her forward so that she got the full gaze of her daughter's body before Vladimir delivered his verdict.

"You may proceed to rape her…"

"NO!" The young woman screamed the exclamation from the top of her lungs, defenseless as the third man bent down and violently ripped the dress and undergarments off the 5 year old girl. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Each scream was loud, almost blocking out the noise of bullets as those who can no longer take this obscenity of morals were shot by Cent's men. Her soft flesh was exposed to the man, who wore neither a hungry look nor one of a disappointment, as he slowly unzipped his jeans as if doing something of a routine nature. "NO! NO! NO! CELIEL! PLEASE!" Her daughter was confused, unable to understand why her clothes were torn off or why the strange third man was removing his own jeans. She was confused at everything, too young to understand even the most basic fundamentals of the horrors about to befall her. She knew one thing: her mother was screaming and if her mother was screaming, then what was happening was bad. Just as she was about to call for her mother, the man smothered his body against her.

"Ah…" At first only a soft sound escaped her lips, as if her brain had yet to register what had happened. It hurt, whatever that thing that was in her lower body was hurting her. She could smell something, something like blood, her first ever smell of the red substance. "Ah…" Even now she still couldn't comprehend it yet, not the force driving into her small frame, not her innocence being viciously torn away from her, right then she was just oblivious to everything for the first few seconds. Shortly though, even though she did not understand what was happening, she did understand that it hurt.

It hurt a lot!

"AHHHH!" Her high pitched screams of pain were echoed by her mother as Vladimir held her there, forcing her to watch as her own daughter was raped before her very eyes. "AHHH! HELP ME! HELP ME! MOMMY! MOMMY! AHHHH! AHHHHH! AH! AH! AH!" She wanted him to stop, to stop pressing that thing into her body. Screams which were already high pitched reached a new octave that felt as if could shatter glass. Was she being raped? From the sounds it was as if something much worse was being done to the child. Her eyes shook wildly, small pupils that are no larger than a speck while she screamed. It was loud, an obscenely loud noise that made those with even a slight moral standing ashamed. Her cries grow louder, until they choked, leaving her to sputter uncontrollably for a mother's warmth that would never reach her.

"It…hurts…ahhh…ahhh!"

Eyes closed, Vladimir's head was tilted back as if in rapture, taking in the blood soaked screams of lost innocent like those of the very harps he had mentioned before. A melody of brutal suffering that filled his ears with the upmost joy. He imagined her pain being brought onto himself, like having his lower body bisected and then the pain increased tenfold. He was almost envious of the little girl, here she was experiencing the most exquisite pain and he was just listening to it.

"Ugh…" Her soft voice cried out one final time before the man finally pulled himself out, pulling his jeans back up and walking back. His expression never changed, as if just doing a simple job at a work, his act was complete and he was leaving the scene. He wasn't disappointed or ashamed of his actions, well least mostly not. He did have a few morals, many of them broken and so he naturally felt a bit ashamed. It was not enough to stop him though, from listening to Cents, from obeying him and from following his lead. Celiel, the little girl whose body was violated, heard the snap of her mother's neck as Vladimir dropped her to the streets like a puppet with its strings cut off. However with her eyes closed she would never know the fate of her mother until later, for now, she only whispered painfully. "Ah…Ahhh…mo…mommy…help me. It…h-hurts…he's hurting…m-me."

Pleased but unfinished, Vladimir finally turned to the crowd, raising his hand up high. This time, a truly terrible grin was on his face. It was the grin of horrific truth, the kind of smile that said that this nightmare had only just begun. "Don't worry, I'll stand by my word that I will not have the girl killed. She can pass on the message of my word, a perfect world of suffering. Unfortunately for all of you…all 2,321 dear citizens, the same cannot be said."

?

His words were definitely a threat. People would die; some had already died, that was clear enough. But he had expressed the murder of the entire population of the area, 2,321 people. Of course they weren't denying it; Vladimir Cents had proven on more than one occasion that he was able to destroy the lives of countless others. The question was how? How was he supposed to kill 2,321 men, women and children? A few more shots rang out, felling either those who were too stupid or perhaps too brave and attempted to seek revenge against Cents and his sickening ways. The young, once innocent and now completely violated girl still cried softly with her eyes closed, turning her body to the side before grasping her knees. "Help me…" Her voice, a broken whisper, sounded so precious to the King of Deceit.

"Do not worry child, though it may be impossible to tell if I'm lying, I will let you live. As for the rest of you…" he muttered, opening his mouth wide. At that moment everyone steped back, unsure of what was about to happen. Gleaming inside his mouth was something strange, a small circular object similar to a semi-large coin slipped in between his teeth.

The young girl flinched, a high two second long, extremely high pitched wail vibrating in through her ears. Though she didn't want to hear it, her eyes as well as all those around here heard the death call of the madman.

"Come forth now ye scourges of the Earth, I give thee a gift!

"List this land in a torrent of eternal suffering, besmirch it!

"Lay waste to every man, woman and child but this single one!

"Now mere men of the cloth, who stand in the wake of my desires!

"Feast your eyes upon…AMARTA LUI DRACUL!"

She was so scared, her frail, beaten, abused little body shaking uncontrollably as her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. She was covered with blood and the sickening stench of the man who raped her but right now she was shivering for another reason. Was it about to rain, the sound of thunder that could be heard far away? Maybe the rain would wash away her misery. Confusion and shock raced through everyone's heads. The sound wasn't just coming from one location; it seemed to be coming from everywhere, as if they were surrounded by an oncoming storm.

"Help me…mommy…" Please help her, somebody please help her. Her body hurt, her head hurt, and it hurt so much. Where was the mother who she desperately needed? Eyes shut tight, her small ears overheard the thunderous stampede of something and the shrill cries of death. The ground shook uncontrollably around her. Unable to open her eyes, she just cried softly for her mother as blood, limbs, organs and tissues splattered around her in an unmistakable horror scene.

"Haa….Haa….hurts….hurts mommy…make him stop. It hurts…why is he…doing it? Make him…stop…mommy.

"…Help me…

"…mommy…"

Silence, not a single breath of air except for Cents, his men and the frail girl on the ground. Whatever transpired had left, no longer in the vicinity. Had it been 20 minutes? 30 minutes? She didn't know, she was now just aware of her surroundings and finally opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was her mother, hand outstretched to her and eyes wide. "M-Mommy?" But those eyes were not filled with color, they were empty and void. Even she knew that her dear parent was dead. She wanted to cry, to scream as loudly as she could, but having been so broken the only thing she could do was whimper. Soon the sound of feet stomping towards her caught her attention and a large foot gently pushed her body over so that she was lying on her back again.

"Good morning…little Celiel…did you have dreams of pleasantry?" Vladimir asked sadistically, taking a quick glance around the area, relishing in the blood soaked air.

"Mommy…"

"Eh? Your mother is dead my child, neck was snapped in twain. She is no longer in the land of the living." What was he doing now as he bent low on his knees and placed what usually would be a gentle hand on her face.

"Ugh…" She hated it, his hot tongue running down her face, literally drinking her salty tears that ran down from her saddened eyes. One hand grasped her small chest, violating her, but not in a way to gain sexual pleasure. He did it because he knew that it would make her cry more and he would be able to drain more of her tears.

"Oh…one more thing my dear…"

Celiel lifted her head up to look at him, scared and timid and then ultimately surprised when something plunged into her small chest. A thin, black rod with serrated edges drove into her small heart, twisting until it was lodged firmly inside her. Then with an upward trust, her beating little heart was forcibly ripped without care from her small frame. "Guah!" Blood and horror exploded from her mouth, eyes at first wide from what had transpired to her pathetic little body.

"…I lied…" Vlad finished darkly, flicking his rod around until the now stopped heart had finally done its last beat. "It'll take about 45 seconds for you to lose conscious my dear, so allow me to tell you a story. You are going to Hell…" It wasn't that he believed it; he firmly knew that if such things as Heaven and Hell did exist, this child would definitely go up. So in these last 45 seconds of her violated life, he would make her suffer, make her believe until she died that there really was no hope for her.

"They'll drag you down, to pits of fire and ice and impale you again and again. That feeling that you felt, when that man came upon you, you'll feel that every day."

"Hnnn!"

"Oh cry all you want dear, and you'll never see your mother again. You'll die…" He spoke happily watching with absolute glee as the girl spat up more blood and cried her eyes out. He waited a few more seconds and before her mind could turn totally blank, he strolled over, lifted his right foot so that his massive boot was over her head, and smashed it down hard upon her face. Caving in, the bones of her figure smashed into the front of her brain, besmirching her once angelic face and finally ending her life.

* * *

><p>Garder stared harshly at the screen the next day. The entire population of a town in Serbia had been wiped right off the map. His lips turned into a dark frown of distaste, reading off the form that he received from his other officers. Yes he was upset that Vladimir would do such a thing, he who held morals definitely hated this mindless bloodshed, but there was something that grated on his nerves.<p>

Whatever was Vladimir's reason for doing this was something he would figure out later. He knew that there werepeople in the world who just didn't care about the lives of others. Cents was just a serial killer who probably got off on murdering. What interested Garder were those who followed Vladimir Cents. It wasn't just a dozen, or a hundred, or even a thousand. From reports, Vladimir had at the very least 25,000 to perhaps even 50,000 people at his disposal.

How did he get them to follow him? How did he get so many people to serve him? 50,000 people could not all wish to follow in the same thoughts as him and there was no way that Vladimir could control that many people. It grinded on Garder's thoughts, this inability to discover the reason.

"Something wrong sir?" Vorono asked, walking in with a towel around his neck. Small beads of sweat covered his body, a sign that he had been working out. After all, he had to earn his towering shape in some way.

"Cents has annihilated a town, no survivors. The Hungarian, British and Spanish military forces are either helping or dealing with problems themselves. I just got word also that the American government will be sending supplies over, but they won't get directly involved unless they are directly attacked."

"What about us?" Vorono asked sternly.

"I'm still waiting for a response for that."

The man with the shaved hair nodded solemnly, looking at the screen with Garder. It showed a map of Europe, small black dots grouped around it. Vladimir's way of conquering was, as far as they could tell, to spread his army out in small patches. He would take over small cities and towns of a country but never stay long there. He would instead leave a bit of his army in that location for a few months and then they would go to another place. What was worst was that Vladimir's army was able to move in relative secrecy. His men wore casual clothing and so it was impossible to tell if the person you were sitting next to was friend or foe. It was a great way to inspire fear and confusion in his enemies.

"He's heading east…" Vorono muttered, glancing at the screen again. Sure enough, whether those were his intentions or if that part of his army had just covered more area, the black dots were indeed squirming closer to Romania and Moldova. As a man of the military, Garder may despise Vladimir's antics but he had to give him praise for his military brilliance. One doesn't just take over countries by luck, it has taken extreme skill and planning to go this far. But even that was a trifling matter to his original question.

Why were they following Vladimir? What had he done, who had he threatened, where did the idea come from that it would be alright to follow a man who clearly had no regards for anyone's wellbeing, not even his own men? For a man like Garder, he found this aspect of Vladimir most curious because it went against all sorts of logic to him. It was like his daughter and her ability that only he and a very select amount of people knew about. What was it? What caused it? Though curious, it did not negate the ultimate choice that had to be made. Vladimir could not go on with this spree of chaos. Even if he had to kill himself, Garder would stop him at all cost.

"Vladimir wants…to create a world of suffering. We assume he is a masochist, who probably just enjoys the pain and watching pain. It's obscene, but not exactly new amongst people," Garder said severely, placing his fingers underneath his chin. "Vorono, what kind of a person would be willing to follow someone like Cents?"

"…Another masochist, somebody who was threatened, perhaps somebody who thinks they can get something out of working for him. Yet, I don't see any way in which 50,000 people would actually serve him for the sole fate of having their own lives ruined. I don't know sir, but there might be something more than meets the eye," Vorono answered honestly, expressing his own opinion.

Garder thought hard on it. Something, something that Vladimir had, or was doing, was giving others the motivation to follow him, whether that motivation was of a positive or negative consequence he didn't know. In war, in times of harshness, people will follow others and their insane ideals despite knowing that it is wrong because they believe they will earn something positive from the aspect. So what about Cents, why did they follow him? What has caused at least 50,000 people to follow this man for over 4 years and not once turn against him? Sure, there may have been one or two betrayals, not that Garder could be a hundred percent sure on this, but to follow him for this long, with no positive gain?

If Cents had a few men on his side, or even a hundred, then sheer state of negative consequences could force others to do his bidding. Threaten family members, threaten friends, and do whatever he wanted to force others into his submission. The numbers though, numbers that Garder felt weren't even at the limit of what Vladimir controlled, followed him. It kept eating at his mind, forcing his already frowning lips to twist even more so that his face looked slightly demented.

"…Just what kind of man are you…Vladimir Cents?"

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, a young man in his early 30's who picked up the daily paper in Japan narrowed his eyes at the third page of world affairs. He read it carefully, interested in the article by sheer curiosity.<p>

"Madman continues attack on European countries. Europe has indicated a national level of threat and the British and Spanish military continues their attacks on their parts of the world. The Hungarian military and government has completely fallen to Cents, mass panic continues throughout multiple cities.

Locations that are close to being taken over…

Romania…Moldova…Slovakia…Ukraine…Serbia…Bulgaria…

Estimated fatalities…323,210

Japan sends supplies to allies over in Europe…"

He stopped reading when a soft foot tapped him gently on his heel. Looking up, he saw a young woman in her early twenties holding a baby girl and feeding her formula. "You shouldn't get so worried Riku." Her words were soft and oddly refreshing and he sighed with a look of relief just by hearing those words from his wife.

"I know Misane, it's just that all of this trouble, caused by one man."

She would put a comforting hand on his shoulder if they weren't busy holding the baby whom Riku decided to pay closer attention to. She was a small thing, no older than a single month with thick tufts of black hair covering her delicate head. Her eyes were wide and wondrous, hungrily sucking on the formula and finding great warmth in her mother's arms. When her father tried to hold her himself, she started to cry, not disliking the man who has more than once made her giggle, but just from the sudden removal of her mother's warm arms.

When she was settled again, she calmed down and continued drinking, black orbs staring cutely at her loving father. "She's such a cute one…" Misane said softly, getting closer for her to see her child. "She'll be a good girl, a very good girl who will help others out.

"Won't you…my little Miriana?"

* * *

><p>Stepping into the long hallway, Riku Kusoku was greeted by quick "hellos" while he tightened his black suit. He headed right, then left, taking small looks around at people but keeping his relatively cold eyes set straight. At last he walked through the doors, gazing out at a thick glass window that showed but a single figure chained to the wall. Blood dripped from the limbs and around three balls of iron, a person of the most interesting case. Riku came forward and sat down at the monitor, his microphone at hand.<p>

"…We are about to begin test three…Number 0."

At those words, cold, hateful red eyes finally looked up at the man in the window. The male Diclonius did not give an answer in return, he just expected what was to come and concentrated his abnormal powers. "Beginning to fire…3…2…1"

*BASH!*

For any normal person, the right side of the head would be bashed in. For any normal Diclonius, the same thing would have happened. But the male Diclonius, the first Diclonius in the Tokyo Facility, the first and apparently only male Diclonius, was much different than even a normal Diclonius. The ball smashed into the wall; it in fact went right through his head. But there was no blood or damage, it merely looked as if half of the boy's head had become transparent and the object went through dropped down to the floor harmlessly. He still didn't say anything, feeling no reason to talk right now. He just went with the experience, sometimes avoiding the blows, sometimes taking them, in the end, only hatred leaking from those red eyes.

From a boy who would one day take the name...The Zero Point.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished. I can't promise they'll come out this fast and I can definitely assure they won't all be this long either. We're introduced to some characters that you may be familiar with as well. So what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	3. Remarks Of Truths And Adorations

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 3: Remarks of Truths and Adorations**

If a certain young girl ever found out just what kind of job her father had, she may have been driven to suicide. In regards to that, Riku Kusoku was not a bad person, or at least he never intended to be. Diclonius were a relatively new thing in Japan; well at least they were to him. Hidden under the pseudonym of "The Facility of Human Evolution and Biological Studies", a vast white fortress was created on an island run by an elderly man simply known as Kakuzawa. Created relatively early, Kakuzawa found that the number of horned girls were becoming overbearing and the few incidents had happened that were barely resolved. Deciding that more room needed to be made, Kakuzawa, using his vast funds, had another facility created in Tokyo under the same name.

So the facility was made, given the same pseudonym and Riku was set as the specialized director of it. His first duty: actually find and bring Diclonius over there. Such a thing would usually have been done in a group, at least five well-armed men that would seek specialized calls from local police stations on bizarre deaths. When a lead that looked interesting arrived, Riku and his group would head off and see where things went. On the first day however, on a day when he was heading home to wife, he ran into something strange. Strange being the fact that he saw a boy, with brightly colored hair, walking down the sidewalk. He couldn't have been older than eight with two set of pure white horns blatantly placed upon his head.

Riku was stunned speechless, mainly because in his work, it was just unnatural to see a Diclonius out in the open like that. He didn't look angry, or happy, but just melancholy, the kind of face any person would give on a normal day. At first he just though he was a small breasted girl that liked to wear masculine outfits, a tomboy, but as he looked closer, the masculine aspects became far more apparent. In a state of disbelief, he nearly ran into a car, trying to get his act together. The idea of a male Diclonius was unheard of and even later on when the members of the facilities would learn about Kakuzawa's history, it still would be unheard of.

Riku Kusoku was a man who did not take joy in making people suffer. He did not take joy in seeing chained nude girls being experimented on. In fact, had he known about this part of his job, he would never have gone through it. Of course when Kakuzawa created the first facility, he didn't mention anything like this in the job description. He may have been an old, power hungry bastard, but he certainly wasn't an idiot. Riku, like many others before him were given the job under a false premise and when they found out what they were doing, it was too late to escape. Some people enjoyed it or at least saw the Diclonius as less than humans and more like beasts. Sometimes, during days when things almost got hectic, Riku would almost think the same thing.

He didn't hate them, far from it; he was beyond hating something from mere looks and as a father, he felt intensely sickened with himself for what he did. However, he understood that what he did what he could at least be used for the good of humanity, even if Kakuzawa didn't care about it himself. Diclonius were unique and very dangerous and he understood that though he may hate his job, something did come out of it. Was it wrong? Yes, but it ultimately led to something that could help others.

But the past was not in Riku's head at the moment; it was filled with bafflement, his brain almost unable to realize that he was looking at a male Diclonius. "Im…possible…" Apparently not anymore, but he couldn't help but garble the word from his mouth, as if speech itself was lost to him. Oh, he wasn't dumb enough to try and get him; he didn't even have a gun on him, hell he never even used a gun before. Instead, acting as if he was just following the same direction as the child, he slowly followed him, cursing as he disappeared into an alleyway. Circling his car around the street, he waited patiently incase the boy appeared anywhere else, and when he didn't, he concluded that this location was the boy's home, or at least some place where the boy went often.

"Ugh…" He felt terrible, the first Diclonius and he would actually be the one to send it to the facility. Morals told him to stop, morals told him to leave but, Kakuzawa had been rather explicit that he knew where him and his family were, and he had the funds to kill them. He had a choice, he could leave and just pretend he never saw him, but the second sin overcame him. He wanted this Diclonius in the facility; he was almost fascinated with him, just thinking of what they could learn about him. He called the order in. It would be surprisingly a short and easy fight that night.

* * *

><p>The boy lived in a small shack, just large enough for him to fit in, indicating that he was indeed homeless. They came for him, a group of armed men expecting a fight and with adrenaline rushing through their veins. Who knew how many would die today. Who knew how long his vectors were, or how many there were. And yet, there wasn't a fight, not a single lash of a vector, just lashes of hands as the boy tried to escape, was knocked out and…that was it. For Riku, this was the first time he had ever been part of a Diclonius hunt so he didn't exactly know what to expect, but for those trained soldiers who had done this before, this was also impossible.<p>

Diclonius didn't just…lose without a fight. All of them, everyone last one, expected at least one death, but nothing, the boy just…attacked like any normal person, hitting, kicking. It was unheard of. It wouldn't take long though for Riku to learn the secret of the boy.

It might be a curious question, to wonder why that, until years later, that Kakuzawa never found out about Number Zero, the very first Diclonius in the Tokyo institution. There were two reasons for this and the first was the specific reason why he was called "Number Zero". Until much later on, just to make classifications slightly easier, all Diclonius were given numbers and they left it at that, no name. Riku found this boy to be amazing with all the things he could learn about it, and he almost became too attached to him. Though he meant good, though he wanted to help humanity, sins started to fill his mind, making him forget about morals and more about scientific discoveries. This was his project, his own project that Kakuzawa didn't need to know about, that he didn't want him to know about. Numbers were expected to start from one, not zero. This in and of itself would put Kakuzawa off his trail.

Secondly, the boy, though male, was still a Sipilet. With literally hundreds of Diclonius in his own facility of his own, he didn't care about Sipilets; they were just experimentations to be used to further his own goals. Not only that, but Riku also made sure that only a select number of people knew about the boy and even then he feared that one of them would spill the beans. For those who did know about the male Diclonius, he offered more money. The sickening sensation that he was working more for science than the hopes of humanity nearly made him vomit on multiple occasions. He made a promise to himself, just a single promise that unknowingly to him would be followed by a group of assassins years later. If he couldn't save himself, if he had to kill and torture and be sent to damnation, at the very least he would do it for the sake of others. He would murder and experiment for the sake of his daughter, for young Miriana to have a good and more importantly, innocent life. In exchange for his own innocence, he would kill to help others.

"…I'm sorry…" He said it a lot, out loud when he was alone and inside his head when he was with people.

"…I am…so sorry…"

* * *

><p>Like two crazy star-crossed lovers, Nicholas and Veronica danced lithely across the outside deck, stars twinkling in the dark skies. Alone with him, this was when Veronica was the happiest, it was the time her smile was brightest and under the moonlit stars, she was most beautiful to him. Her violet hair swinging back, catching the light in its glorious color as her red eyes shone out like a proud fire. This was something they did often, alone outside, just dancing on the deck and giving small talk that would mostly end with lips locked together in passionate embraces.<p>

At no point did one of them say "I love you…" during this time. Every word and thought was given in action; the thoughts of adoration were put into the forms of dances, hugs and kisses that expressed emotions far easier than mere words. At the end, she grasped the back of his head with her hand and brought his lips on her own. Relishing in the taste she had become so accustomed to feeling, she pressed her body forward and slipped her tongue inside his mouth.

"Oh?" That caught Nicholas off guard, this was a first. They had often kissed passionately but never had she gotten his deep with him, it was a moment when they both knew just how far their love went now, just how much adoration and commitment was being made on that moment.

"I want a family…" She spoke after moving her mouth away, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes. "When we get married and are on our own, I want a family to raise. It would be great to have a baby, a little boy or girl that we can call our own." Family, yes, she wanted to have a family of her own, a baby to call her own, it was a dream to become a mother and to have Nicholas as her baby's father.

"I think that would be great…" He spoke the truth, a father, truly it wasn't the first thing he had thought to be in his life but living with Veronica, falling in love with her, it almost transpired in his life to become a family man. He only answered with another kiss, slightly unable to be as direct as his fiancé who smiled mischievously and once again slipped her tongue inside, the two tongues trading saliva until a loud noise entered. Though no member of their family would care, Veronica still felt embarrassed with her uncle having walk in on her while she had her tongue down Nicholas' mouth.

"U-Uncle Ishori…ah…oh…" she stumbled, which Ishori only chuckled at.

"Don't worry about it Veronica, but there's a phone call from my brother for you."

She paused momentarily. "Eh? My father?" she asked rhetorically, walking inside the house to the phone.

The gruff voice of her father answered. "Hello Veronica, I hope I have not interrupted anything important." She had to smile a bit, even if her father didn't know, he had unintentionally interrupted something.

"No I'm fine, what do you need?" Her voice had become sterner because she knew that her father would only have called this late for something important. "Is something wrong father?"

"Veronica, I'm going to need you and Nicholas to come over to the military base in three days from now. Say goodbye to the family, tell them you love them. I have to get going now; once you two arrive things will be better explained."

"I understand father, I love you."

"Aye, I love you too Veronica."

Warfare. She might not know what they would be doing exactly, she might not know how things would transpire, but she knew that in three days, she and Nicholas would be going to war. She assumed, with the problems going on in Europe that it would the location they would go towards. She was not afraid; in fact she honestly expected this and walked back out to meet her fiancé. He could read her face the moment she came out. Nodding at her, he also knew what would happen. They would be going to war, there would be death and they both knew that one of them could die. This was to be expected and if it did happen, they would cry, sob, and mourn the loss of the other but they knew that as soldiers, this was to be expected in war.

Even the other family members knew it and they accepted it as well.

In three days times…a new journey would begin.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Next chapter completed, been very busy but I managed to finish it now. At before, please read and review and I hope to get the next chapter done ASAP.<p> 


	4. A Livid Feeling Of Emptiness

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter_ 4: A Livid Feeling of Emptiness_**

"Good morning Girikuson," Nicholas said, walking alongside Veronica as they came up to the military base. The obscured haired man gave them a fleeting glance and waved his hand, still keeping his eyes on a group of rookies.

"Good morning Nicholas and good morning to you too, Veronica. General Morotisan is in the fourth tent to the western end." They gave their appreciation and went over there, feeling a bit out casted as they were the only ones in the area in civilian clothing. A few people waved to them, and at last they stepped into the designated area where at least 30 other people were in along with Veronica's father Garder.

"Yo Nick, long time no see!" one strapping lad said, smacking his friend's back.

"Looking just as good as always Veronica…" another one said, whistling shrilly and earning a rough but well intentioned punch by Nicholas. Garder stood in the front, arms crossed and his face set in that same scowl of strictness as he waited for everyone to quiet down. When they did, he finally began to speak.

"Now that we're all here, it's time explain what is happening. Due to the circumstances around Europe concerning Vladimir Cents, we are finally being sent over there to deal with the problem. A military unit consisting of 70,000 people will be sent in separate intervals to Europe. Some will be sent to the western end of Europe, to deal with the issues around the ocean side countries. Others will be sent further east, all of which will be done to support the country and get rid of Vladimir's army.

"These groups will all be led by a specific leader; however those under Captain Vorono and my own will be specially deployed in finding and killing the leader Vladimir Cents. Failure is not option here, seek to kill, anyone who attacks is to be considered an enemy. I have been given this order by the higher command…" Stepping over, he reached inside a small desk, a pulled a single piece of paper, the eyes of the soldiers drawing towards it.

"This is the Specialized Operation Indication paper…code named…'Pinpoint Lifeline'. It is the trump card given to me and will only be issued by me under the most strenuous of circumstances. If for whatever unfortunate reason I give this order, it will stand as the complete annihilation of everything in sight. The order if I ever give it will stand as such:

"…Kill all those associated with Vladimir Cents, regardless of whether they are innocent or not. Anyone who feels any connection of sympathy for Cents is to be killed. There will be no prisoners; there will be no sympathy for anyone.

"Secondly, destroy or take all supplies of the enemy, leave nothing behind. Allow no food or drinks to be allowed in the hands of the enemy. If this fight goes on for years, let them starve and perish while in agony.

"Thirdly, burn all locations of the enemy; leave not a strip of enemy land untouched. Let the world burn in their wake.

"In short…" he continued darkly, the room almost becoming heavy with the suspense. "Under this order, if I ever give it, is the destruction of all hope for the enemy. Pinpoint Lifeline, to hit every part of the foe and vanquish any sort of optimism that they may have."

Veronica couldn't help but feel a shiver down her back. Her father may have been extremely strict but he was also a loving figure and even for him, she just couldn't see him giving such an order. She couldn't imagine him going as far as to destroying the lives of every single person that was part of Cents army or even those just sympathetic to his cause. "Fa…General Moritsan…" she called out, catching herself from calling him father even though they all knew her relationship to him.

"Aye? What is it Lt. Morotisan?"

"…Would you actually give…?" she paused and with the reddening of her face she felt embarrassed in both being unable to ask her question and feeling disgraced with her thoughts. Instead she changed it up, something Garder could see but did not press it. "You said that 70,000 men will be sent over to Europe and that our specific group will be looking for Cents, how will our group itself be handled?" Garder didn't speak for a moment, not because he needed to think but just because his mind had gone to what he knew was Veronica's actual question. Would he give the order, yes, in no doubt of his mind if such a thing came, he would give that order without hesitation. But he never did, he did not ever want to give that order.

"…Our group will consist of 20,000 people separated into four teams. The first group will be under my order. The second one under Captain Vorono. The third under Lt. Vega and lastly under you…Lt. Morotisan." Nobody made any remarks that Garder had put his own daughter in charge of one of the groups. They didn't see it as favoritism but instead the pride and respect each of them had for each other. This wasn't a game, where Garder was giving his daughter an unfair advantage; he was sending her to the front lines, where the possibility of death was at its highest.

"I understand…" Veronica said calmly, keeping quiet then.

Garder straightened his shoulders, unspeaking again but giving strong glares to the people around him, a strategy to show his confidence and to allow them to show their confidence. This would be an important thing to see if any of them were still lacking in certain regards. He kept a close look on eyes that would divert their attention from him, heads bowed low as if worried, parted lips or sweaty brows. He did not need the weak in his army.

"The leaders that I mentioned will also make secondary commanders to those they fill are most fitting. Obviously each group will be in control of at least 5,000 soldiers and obviously not all of those are here right now, they have been given the same order though by local authorities in their areas and will still be meeting with us in Europe at a specialized location in Spain, further details will be given later. This is all I have to say for now, we leave in two days, say goodbye to your families and loved ones, and you may not be coming back."

* * *

><p>Both Veronica and Nicholas knew that if they went to Europe, one or even both of them could die and not at any point in their minds did they try to stop it. At no point did they even that maybe there was way for one of them to go and the other to stay behind, to live. Both of them had been in wars before, though admitting none as great as the one they were now entering, but they understood the concepts of life and warfare. If one of them died, then yes, they would mourn and yes, they may even just by nature aim their guns at that which took the other's life.<p>

Yet they accepted their life and the business that they were in.

Veronica, leaning her head against her fiancés' chest, took in the warmth of his arms and silently breathed in and out, saying not a word for a few moments. After arriving in Spain, they would be split up; the only time she would meet him again was if their groups met up during the war, so right now, back at home for the last day, they continued the dance that they started long ago.

"You know, the marriage may have to be put off until the end of the war," Nicholas uttered, his fiancé nodding solemnly. Of course, it really depended on how long the war took, how long it took to kill Cents and bring order to the European countries. The marriage had been planned for next year; they may be in Europe for much longer than that.

"I know, can't do much about it." Her smile and confident tone said a lot about Veronica, that she was a woman who was intelligent, feminine and very confident. For the most part, she always stood strong and brave, a leader who gave orders, definitely a thing that rubbed off on her by her father. Yet right now, together with Nicholas she wanted to be that timid girl in the arms of a loved one.

"Kiss me…" Her breath of a whisper was hardly even finished before he did exactly as she asked, not overbearing, just a long but simple press of the lips, their arms wrapped around each other's body.

* * *

><p>"Master Cents, it seems new operatives from overseas have started to come over…"<p>

"Eh…?" After draining his glass of Champaign in a single gulp, Vladimir gazed over at the lonely man as he sat comfortably at his throne. The room brightly lit so that the gleams of silver gems radiated all around them. It was a bright contrast to the iron black walls of the outside citadel that towered over the barren wasteland. "How quaint, they're sending more dreamers out here."

The servant nodded once, as if only to acknowledge the statement before speaking again. "Aye Master Cents, at least 30,000 people have arrived in Spain; there is a good chance that the western area of Europe will be back under ally control. However, I have heard that at some point, somebody named…Garder F. Morotisan is supposed to be coming as well."

Vladimir perked his head up, putting the glass against his lips and leaning back despite not a drop of the liquid being left. "Garder…who is that? I've never heard of him before." His dark smile didn't change, as if he was just enjoying another good show. The servant slipped his hands inside of his pockets, pulling out a single piece of paper and reading it aloud.

"Garder Ferajhan Morotisan, age 55, born in Argentina, Brazil. He's served in the South American military for over 30 years and is considered one of the greatest generals not only in his own country but around the world as well. Along with have expert knowledge on tactical warfare, he an expert fighter with multiple rewards in different styles of hand to hand combat. There isn't much else on him but judging from the material we did get, compare to the others here, he's a level completely of his own." Finishing, he gave the sheet to Vladimir's outstretched hand whose red eyes traveled slowly across the parchment before bursting out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"Kya! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! How quaint, this sounds like a most interesting man. I am most curious in meeting him. But we'll just have to see where things go. You may go now, and I do thank you for the information."

* * *

><p>Ever since he was a child at the age of six years old the male Diclonius that would one day be named Julius had always known the world of homelessness. He once had a mother and a father, faces he couldn't remember and their deaths which put him into a shelter. For him, his horns had never been an issue and in truth, if people ever gave him strange or disgusted looks, he didn't notice them. Therefore, during the days in the shelter, the mockery and bullying was not only new, but completely unexpected that in the beginning he halfway thought someone was going to pop out and yell "Just kidding!" with confetti flying everywhere. He felt angry but mostly, he felt ashamed not only by his physical appearance, but also by his inability to cope with the situation.<p>

Fights would break out and more than often not he would end up breaking one of the children's noses. Not everyone was cruel to him; he had even, if just remotely, made a few acquaintances that did not treat him like dirt. Yet, it did nothing to fill in that loathsomeness he felt for himself and though young and more than foolish, he decided a world of thievery and homelessness would still be better than this questionable state of affairs.

Stealing, it hadn't taken long to realize that the life on the streets for a young boy was a lot harder than those movies used to show and in those it had looked terribly miserable. Living alone, with nothing but a paper above your head, even the brutality of childhood bullying would have been better than this and besides, it wasn't like he had been completely friendless. Yet, he decided to live this life, one of discomfort and pain, because the pain in his mind overrode the pain in his heart. He could handle the abuse, the bullying all of it, what he couldn't handle, or rather couldn't understand was the incomprehensibility of the matter. Meaning, he didn't understand himself or why he existed. He didn't see where he fit into the world, this strange haired, two horned boy who got these strange urges throughout his body as if every nerve was tingling. Most of all, he felt mentally claustrophobic, as if he was unable to reach out further and attain new aspirations.

Diclonius, around the age of four years old, learn about their vectors although they don't learn actual control until around the age of five years old. Sometimes it would take longer, even as much as eight years of age before vectors began to emerge. For Diclonius, the emergence of vectors was preceded by the feeling of being able to reach further. Their arms could somehow go further than normal and tingling in the brain made them feel nearly blissful. The young male Diclonius did not feel that, he felt tight and discomforting at times, as if his pillows were being compressed against his body, nearly smothering him.

He had no idea of his powers, not even a single clue that he was truly different from the rest. He never realized, even during those times when his body would apparently slip through objects. He'd just believe as he crawled off the floor that he'd lost his balance. The only thing he knew was that even as a child, he felt empty and pointless. If he had been any older, he might have just killed himself from the sheer fact that the exhilaration of death would've made his life just a little more exciting.

That was why, though he hated the facility, though he hated the experiments, though he hated the experiment, he wouldn't leave. Even though he hated it, this terrible treatment, what point was there in going back out there in a world of misery? At least here, bounded by specialized chains that kept him from escaping, there was a point to his miserable existence. He was a pawn, just another pathetic science project for that strange man who had some sort of infatuation with his powers. The longer he was there, the more he hated them, so much hate for these things called humans. Wasn't he human though? He had always believed it; nobody else had ever called him "Diclonius" before.

But even the unnatural hate, even at a time when he would actually kill because of unrelenting spite, would not get rid of the emptiness in his meaningless life.

* * *

><p>"I'll miss you, please be careful and do write if you can." Veronica blushed deeply as her Aunt Jessica wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug, the young horned woman being careful not to be too rough on the pregnant woman. She bent down, placing her hand on the rotund belly, gently muttering.<p>

"Maybe when I get back, I'll finally get to see a new face, you'll almost be like a little sister. Aunt Jessica, have you decided what you're going to name her?"

"Ishori and I were thinking about it, and we wanted something that would be unique to her. Does the name, Elrya Alya, sound good to you dear?"

Smiling sweetly, Veronica nodded, rising back up to her feet. "I think it sounds wonderful Aunt Jessica, I'm sure she'll grow up into a wonderful girl and woman." Her aunt smiled just as sweetly, rubbing her belly before speaking.

"Maybe one day she'll fine a man like I did with Ishori, fall in love, and have children of her own." Her voice was cut off by a laugh from Veronica.

"Aunt Jessica, I think you should wait before you start thinking of her future, I mean she hasn't been born yet. Eh?"

A loud horn from outside caught her attention, Nicholas waving from his car for her to come. "I have to go now, love you." And with those words, she hopped into the car as it drove off into the sunlit horizon. In the car, the young horned woman gently put her seat back, relaxing her head on a soft pillow, she better get used to it because once she arrived in Europe, the softest thing her head would be leaning against was either mud, blood or both. A set of military uniforms were in the backseat along with other provisions. "How are you feeling Ver?" She perked her ears at her fiancés' voice, closing her eyes and answering in a dreamy voice.

"Fine, just sleepy, I guess I really want to rest now since it's probably going to be pretty crappy once we get out there." He nodded at her answer, reaching over and rubbing his fingers through her hair, caressing the hard bony objects that were her horns. Giggling, she moved her vector through the air and ruffled his own hair. "Nicholas, you know how I want a family of my own? If we had a baby, what we call him or her?"

"Well personally, if it's a boy, I want him to be Nicholas junior."

"And if it's a girl…" Veronica asked.

He thought for a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure, naming girls isn't my specialty. What sounds like a good name to you?" She had to think about it, she wanted a great but relatively easy name to remember, something that wasn't over the top but was at least unique.

"If I had a baby, I would like her to be named…Ilya."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished as we learn not only a bit more about our characters but some new things as well. Yes that name Ilya is the same Ilya that appears in Lifeline. So what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	5. Mellissa

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 5: Mellissa**

Veronica Morotisan strolled out into the open street, her camouflage uniform matching all the others that were worn by her fellow soldiers. A TKB-059 assault rifle was set against her right hip while an M24 Sniper rifle was located on her left hip. Violet hair which once traveled over her shoulders had pulled slightly cut trimmed and then pulled up into a brisk ponytail, and her long bangs cut off so that they wouldn't obscure her vision. The upper part of her hair was flung over so that her vivid white horns wouldn't be as visible during the battles. This was her true nature, a soldier in the army; these guns and ammo that were set upon her figure were things she breathed day in and day out.

To her far right she could see her father marching around at his section, his pitch black slit eyes displaying no fear but purely a strict vision of what had to be done. Further away was Vorono, his military uniform now greatly matching his massive form. She gave one small glance at Nicholas, admiring just how good he looked before finally reaching her section and glaring at the men and women who would be a part of her team. Crimson red eyes flashed dangerously, looking for the weak or unprepared and soon finding one herself.

"Soldier!" Her voice, usually beautiful, was now harsh and dangerous. Her form might have been small but she radiated an unseen aura of confidence. The man she spoke to was hardly qualified to leave yet, his uniform was lopsided, he stood at a bad angle and his eyes were oddly bloodshot. Veronica didn't know him well but she did know that he was a rookie who often got into small trouble throughout the base. "What the hell happened to you, your outfit's wrong, you…you look like a mess…" Bringing herself closer, her eyes narrowed suspiciously as her nostrils flared, sniffing around him. The clear smell of alcohol wafted through her nostrils and she took a step back in disgust.

"Soldier, may I ask why you smell like a complete piece of crap?"

"Stop worrying about it…Victoria, I'm fiiiine…" His slurred speech and inability to hold himself up right ticked her off. It was one thing to get drunk; believe it or not there had been a day when Nicholas had one shots too many and had become a bumbling and incomprehensible mess. However, he had done that when they were with a couple of other friends at a party and she was able to drive him back home without any problems. This was war, they were all going to warfare, some of them would die, and that wasn't a question of if either. One of them, at least one of the 70,000 soldiers that were to come would die. More than one would die, it was the rule of war. Death would come to one of them, to many of them. She herself might die, she might walk out and get shot right in the head by an unseen sniper, not a second to think, not a second to react, just dead in an instant. She knew this; they should all know this. That was why they needed to be in top condition, so that survival was at its greatest peak.

The last thing they needed was some drunk. "You are unfit to be here, your actions itself are absolutely disgusting. Leave your weapons and cap here and head over to General Morotisan this instant, I will not be having you screwing up my own team." Any smart man would've just accepted their wrong doings and left. Impairment, however, did things to men and he saw the statement as an act of violence. He cursed and walked up to her. She kept her position as his hands roughly pushed against her.

"You know what bitch…maaaybe I don't want to go. In fact…" Grinning perversely, Veronica made no motion but to just look disgusted as the soldier began groping her, her other team members doing their best not to sigh.

"Lt. Vega, I think someone's trying to put the moves on your girl."

Nicholas turned his head, looking simply at the actions at the other team and shrugged his shoulders before counting down from three. "Three…two…one…" Ending, Veronica grasped the right arm of her abuser, twisted it behind his back, and then quickly brushed her feet under his shins, his body falling hard onto the ground. Smiling to himself, Nicholas had to mutter happily, "I do love that woman so much."

Noticing the predicament, Garder walked forth, demanding to know what was going on. "This boy is unfit for duty sir, I will not allow him to be a part of my team and become detrimental to its health. I told him to drop his stuff and go to you but he decided to make it hard," Veronica explained. Garder glared down at the boy then ordered him to be retained and brought away, leaving Veronica to return to her duties. It was an interesting thing to start the day but besides that, the rest of the soldiers were ready for action. For those who didn't know Veronica, they finally understood why she was in charge and if at any point they were denying her, such thoughts instantly vanished. She gave one last walk around the team, made three specific people into secondary leaders and then heard the whirring of propellers. Across the sky flew several back military choppers, thirty in plain sight and more to come. Obviously not everyone could arrive at the same time, so they would be brought in groups to their primary location.

The first 30,000 had already arrived in Spain, setting a perimeter around the seaboard area and attempting to drive off the enemy lines in the western hemisphere of Europe. The 20,000 soldiers that composed the special operation unit to kill Vladimir Cents would fully arrive within a week, though if all of Veronica's members arrived before then she would set off. Just as she was about to get on, she stopped, looking over at Nicholas. "Give me a quick moment."

She gave no warning. Nicholas only found himself being turned abruptly around and the warmth of young lips against his own. Whistles from the others filled her ears, but for her, she didn't care, she just had to get one last kiss from her lover before she left.

* * *

><p>Hand against the window, Yin watched firstly as the large buildings disappeared, then the clouds flew from below, and after that everything was obscured by whiteness. "Mother, how long are we going to be in Japan?" Of course they hadn't told him anything.<p>

"Probably for a while Yin." It was her only answer and he didn't press it on any further. Considering he could hardly even speak his father's language, going to a place that was easier for him to understand was a lot better for him. He had nothing against Hungary, it was a good place but being so new to the language he could never get around as well.

"Will father be coming soon?"

"He has to stay home and do some things. He may not be able to come for a long time but we'll call him and send him letters," his mother replied.

"…Oh…alright."

* * *

><p>Young Carentorzulan giggled as her older sister Orlana played with her, showing her many tricks with playing cards. While only a baby with mundane understanding of the world, she found joy that only a young baby could in cards disappearing from her sight. Orlana herself was perhaps enjoying herself even more, just to show her baby sister these tricks and watch her smile so happily. She cooed, she giggled, and when Orlana actually managed to pull the whole coin out of the ear trick, Carentorzulan laughed so loudly.<p>

But as with all babies, Carentorzulan's attention was brought forth to the growling in her little belly and a small cry came from her throat. Orlana's mother stepped in, lifting the young pink haired baby into her arms to feed her while Orlana put her cards away. "Mama, can I feed her?" Her mother nodded once.

"Of course Orlana, be careful and hold her head steady." Orlana felt nothing more than happiness with helping to feed her baby sister, her tiny lips sucking the formula bottle and her sister gently holding her body.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile across the seas on the smallest of continents, one young boy was trying to talk his way with the police.<p>

"I swear I had nothing to do with it. Take my…DNA or whatever." He knew why the cop stopped him; it was because of his weird hair color. He didn't break the old woman's window, the old hag should learn to shut up and stay out of other people's businesses. With what felt like hours to him, the cop finally let him go and he returned to his friends who laughed at his misfortune.

"Oh shut up, I didn't do a single thing and he still picked me out."

"Hahaha! It happens when you have blue hair, mate."

The twelve year old Australian boy gave him a rough but well-intentioned push and threw his hands behind his head. "Stupid people, I didn't act ask for this hair color. Ah forget it, what do those bastards know anyways?"

"Ha! Got that right, hey Roy have you heard of what's going on in Europe?" his friend asked.

"No, just some sort of war's going on, it's really messing with my father's business since he has clients over there," Roy answered nonchalantly.

"Yeah, it's gotten really bad; they've sent other people from the west over there." Roy listened and cared about as much any twelve year old boy would. Honestly what did it matter to him, although the talks of war did make him think of practicing with his father's rifle at home. His father once had a small joy for specialized rifles but such a thing was lost in his job, for Roy he had taken that love and asked his father to practice. It was only when he was twelve years old that his father had, with safety vastly in his mind, allowed himself to teach his son. The most Roy had ever done was shoot cans but in two years as he got better, his father promised to take him out into the wilderness and shoot wild animals. Of course he also didn't mention that what he shot would be eaten and Roy had never exactly had wombat before.

"It's getting late Roy, I'm going. Try not to get arrested."

"Shut the hell up." Roy muttered coldly, but waved his friends goodbye to head back home.

* * *

><p>Vladimir Cents watched the projector screen as he sat at his throne cozily, taking his new glass of Champaign and draining it a little bit more slowly than his other ones. Throughout Europe special cameras had been placed, showing images and videos of what was happening around the world. It was something that allowed Vladimir to get a heads up advantage in the war and his eyes were now set on the new arrival in Spain's harbor. He recognized the South American military uniform and he paid very close attention, as if he could spot the person that most intrigued him.<p>

"Oh? Rewind the video…" he quickly uttered, snapping his fingers and watching the video go back. As it played he demanded it to be paused and stepped off of his throne to get a closer look at the screen. An entire group of soldiers hopping off the choppers but what caught his attention was just one person, one young woman with strangely colored hair, a dark violet that made her already luscious figure more exotic. But his attention was directed on her head, he had to squint, and his fingers rubbed the projector screen as if hoping he could somehow move the purple strands away.

"…This…is most quaint. Keep the video directed on her, I want to see something." As per his orders, the cameras were kept on her, Veronica unknowingly being videotaped by a hidden camera. When Vladimir paused it again after getting a closer look, he returned back, still rubbing the screen. "…This is most quaint indeed. Heh…Heh…Heh…" He caught himself, covering his face and guffawing directly into his palm. "Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! This is…this is even more than I expected. I didn't think anything more interesting than Garder would come…Hah…" He almost couldn't control himself, he continued laugh in his palm, before finally relaxing and catching his breath. Things were already great with the idea of Garder coming, but this, how interesting was this?

"Master Cents, do you know that woman?"

He shook his head and his servant's question. "I have not, I recognize none of these people but do you see her? Look closely at her, upon her head. It's hard to see, but those white things. Ha! I can't believe it; I can't believe someone like her came. I didn't even know they had them in South America, this is so quaint!

"…So quaint…

"…Diclonius…"

A desire for suffering, that what has always been on Vladimir's mind since he first asked himself a single worded question. "Why?" This single worded question, asked at the age of sixteen years old was so sudden and inspirational that he honestly thought he had gone mad. Why do good? Why obey the law? Why was hurting people bad? In short, why did he feel so pathetic by doing good things and yet felt joy when he was doing sin. He wasn't sure how it happened, just that one day a knife was in his hand, and his parents were there and…

…He even cried at first, not because he had murdered them but because he couldn't understand why. He had been told that murder was a sin. He was told that lying was a sin. He had been told that God would smite and damn those who committed sins. He was honestly scared, scared of what he had done.

Because it had felt so good. He was afraid of this feeling, joy spreading throughout his veins, the smell of blood dripping thickly down the blade's serrated edge. Why did it smell so good? Why did his mind register it as pleasure? Vladimir's condition was something that could not be explained, like a twisted relic of insanity, all that was comprehensible was denied here. If one ever probed his mind, maybe they would have found something, maybe a tumor, maybe something. But there was nothing, nothing explainable; he just felt…joy in making others miserable. He felt an intoxicating feeling of bliss, when his blade slid into the flesh. Something was clearly wrong with him, so perhaps if he felt the same sensation, he would grow sick of it and stop.

…Why did it feel so good to draw his own blood? Why did the pain make him want more of it? Oh it hurt, it definitely hurt him, the nerves being sliced, and it hurt so much but the adrenaline, the intoxicating bliss overrode the mundane body's need for relief.

He had to accept it, that he just couldn't find any joy or love in doing good acts.

"I desire to make a world of complete suffering…"

Nowadays, very few people knew that Vladimir was quite capable of being upset. The dark and twisted smile on his face was not a permanent image. For one thing, dreamers absolutely pissed him off. There was a difference between having a dream and having a desire. Dreams were pathetic thoughts held by bitches and bastards who were too weak to make their thoughts factual. In dreams, you always wake up, it stops, end of the line. Desires, however, can always go forward. There was no waking up, there was only endurance of the will and for Cents, no matter how many times he was pushed down, no matter how many times he was denied his desires, he continued forward, always trying to grasp the final realization of his long journey.

Secondly, on a lesser note, it irked him whenever people tried to claim that he was trying to make an anarchist's world. He wanted law and order, with himself as its worldly king. He didn't want anarchy- that was foolish and unthinkable. Just denying laws and order did not grant a good kingdom, people wallowing around doing whatever the hell they wanted. It was stupidity at its finest. What he wanted was to have a world where suffering, pain and misery were the norms of everything. That murder, rape, and pillaging was something not unthinkable, but accepted yet at the same time it would be something that would always bring a declaration of hell with it.

But most of all, he wanted this world for himself and to fill in that void of misunderstanding. He couldn't explain why he felt such delight when making others miserable. He couldn't explain why the taste of blood gurgling down his throat was better than even the best sexual satisfaction. He couldn't explain why listening to screams, stabbing flesh, ripping hearts and experiencing pain was so great other than the fact that the rush granted him euphoria. In truth, it scared him to think that his thoughts were so different from others, that there was so little about him that could be qualified as good. He couldn't help it, he couldn't help but sin again and again, never stopping, always laughing and not once feeling a sense of morality in him. So if he could create a world of suffering, then he could live in a world where his heinous lifestyle was not abnormal and he could easily accept himself for what he truly was, an incorrigible monster.

As demented as he was, even Cents knew that to attain his desires he would have to make others view his world as something desirable as well. He knew also that such a thing would be impossible. There was no way he could make the world believe that murder, rape and chaos in an ordered world was possible, he was far too different from those dreamers. But there was one thing he could do and that was to slowly build up his army, starting with the low scum of the Earth. The first person he ever got to join was an ex-prisoner having once served twenty years. He never cared for the crime he committed, but there was one thing that Cents knew drove people. Money. Give a little cash to a person, and they'll be willing to tweak the rules a bit. Of course, that would mean that Cents would have to have a lot of money to keep all those who served him in line, there was obviously more to it than just the crisp feel of a bill or the gleam of a coin, be it bronze, gold or as his favorite became, silver.

At one point, he got word from one of his servants, a Japanese man, that something very strange had been discovered in his home country. Girls with horns? Strange invisible arms that could kill on touch? Diclonius? A well written science fiction movie was good and all but there was a thing called logic, such things like Diclonius did not exist. Yet the man was adamant on this, that such a thing of impossibilities was indeed…possible.

"Your dreaming speculations are both quaint and annoying. You have garnered my attention; bring me one of these…Diclonius…"

Down in the basement of the citadel, in the lowest area where the black chains rot away, the sound of ragged breathing was the only sound with the exception of small drops of water hitting the stone ground and the occasional cough. Taking the corner, Vladimir stopped, gazing at the cage where a young girl, just a little over fifteen years of age stood huddled against the wall with her arms and head pinned by chains to the wall. Malnourished and dirty, the left horn on her head was badly chipped and her eyes sunken with a dead look in them.

"Good morning…little Mellissa, were your dreams ones of pleasantry, I wonder?"

She choked, not caring about his question but by the small bottle of water in his hands. Her parched lips thirstily opened and closed, leaning as much as she could forward to get some. Smiling, Vladimir gently knelt down and put the bottle against her mouth, letting the wet and greatly needed liquid to slip down her dry throat.

"That's right little Mellissa, drink it all up." Mellissa was the impossibility that his servant had talked about. Brought from Japan at the age of ten, Mellissa, if that was really her name, was tortured, beaten and experimented on for Vladimir's own purpose, leaving her sickened and hateful. She wanted more, more water, more to drink, more freedom…she snapped almost in an instant. Cracking his wrist with her vector, she grasped the falling bottle and threw him against the wall, only giving him one small glance before glugging the much needed water. Moaning, Vladimir struggled to get back up, a twisted smirk spreading over his face.

"Now…now…now little Mellissa, don't be…ow…" He stopped, grasping his wrist, and then twisted it, feeling the bones cracking loudly. "Now see what you did there Mellissa, I'm only here to help and here you go breaking my wrists and throwing me against the wall."

She only hissed at his words, a slow "Shhh…shhh…shhhhh…" as she breathed through her lips, and her red eyes glaring hatefully at him.

"Hurt…me…"

"Oh are you still on that little Mellissa? How quaint."

Harshness, her life miserable, her world insane, everything caused by this man. Hatred for him, hatred for humans, hatred spilling out in the form of long hands that struck her abuser again and again. So much hate, not just for this bastard, but for all humans in general, that voice in her head, always telling to kill, always telling her take revenge, how about now? Look at the bastard, bleeding on the floor, choking on his own pain! Kill!

*CHOMP!*

"You know…" Vlad muttered as he held her vector in his mouth, finding deep pleasure in seeing her eyes widen in fear. "…I was going to ask for your help…little Mellissa. Also on another matter my dear, you should really stop this, I didn't have your blood examined for nothing after all. Keep pushing your luck and something bad…might happen." A crack, loud and painful as his hands broke the bones in her own wrist, snapping them in twain. Screams, high pitched, filled with sorrow and agony resonated in her ears!

"Ahhh! Ahhhh!" So much pain, enormous, uncontrollable pain, how could she forget her place like this?

"I…I'm sorry!" It hurt; she didn't want to be hurt.

"Are you going to behave now…little Mellissa?" Vlad asked sarcastically. She nodded her head repeatedly, shivering when he placed his hand underneath her chin but relaxed as his touch was much softer than it had been before. "I knew you would my child, now I have a special job for you. You'll get to go outside; I just need you to…kill a certain person." She gazed curiously up at him. Her red eyes once filled with anger, now wide with curiosity as if she was going through some sort of bi-polar fit. Once filled with rage, now curiosity.

"K-Kill? Human?"

Vladimir shook his head. "Not quite…it's a young woman…like you."

"…Di…clon…ius?"

"Yeah…That's right, do well and I'll see about giving you a little…reward."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter finished, I'm getting these done quickly. We get a little info on some familiar characters, a little insight in Vladimir's history and a look at a new character. So what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

Please R&R.


	6. Imperfect Interrogations

Pinpoint Zero

Chapter 6: Imperfect Interrogations

As the rest of Veronica's soldiers would not be arriving in full until a week later, at this time she allowed her men to relax in Barcelona, look around the place, buy a few things to send back to their families, whatever they felt like. In three days they would head to a specific area forest area in Spain, not that this was their specific location, but because she didn't want her men to get too cozy. Let them have fun for the first three days but after that, she wanted to get them prepared for the months and even years ahead of them. As for her, she stood at a meadows edge, finding tranquility in the blowing wind and waving grass that came up to her ankles.

In movies, in television shows, in the silly media, terrible times were marked by horrific and dull weather. Grey clouds, raining days and stormy nights. Silly indication, the blue skies, green grass and gentle breeze hardly indicated that a great majority of Europe had already turned into hell, with people fearing for the lives of their families, their friends and themselves. Somewhere, perhaps only a few miles away, somebody was dying. Perhaps a child no older than five was being raped. Yes, they had heard of that story and she had even seen a video of it. It was sickening, and that was saying something for a woman who lived and breathed bullets and blood.

It was horrible, her shrieks, the small girl's tears running down her face. Seeing the cold, uncaring look in Cents eyes, she could hardly even control the urge to vomit. The video had been cut off shortly so they never got the chance to see what had happened later on and that Cents had somehow managed to completely wipe the city clean of all of its inhabitants. What sort of power did it take to wipe out a city? To complete erase every man, woman and child, in home and outside. What kind of freak got off on watching a little girl being raped, then brutally murdering her while giving her hope? People did horrible things to other people, for money, for religion, sometimes it so simple as to be ridiculous but at least they had a reason, even if said reason was twisted and corrupted. This though, this wrong on so many levels and it pissed her off to no end.

How dare he claim these lives under his own twisted delusions! It wasn't for money, it wasn't for land, or conquest, religion, none of that. That poor little girl was raped, beaten and murdered for the sole reason that Vladimir enjoyed it. Never before had she ever felt such an illicit hatred for a single person. Her blood boiled uncontrollably, her red eyes narrowed into slits reminiscent of her father's and a low hiss escaped her parted lips. She was so angry, horrifying, murderously angry that the desire to kill became greater than it had ever become before. In fact…it might have been too great.

"Ah…Relax…why am I getting so worked up…?" She had to stop this, she was losing a battle against psychological warfare and Vladimir hadn't even intended it. One breath in, one breath out, she repeated this three times, letting the breeze calm her thoughts. Letting herself get out control like that, what kind of soldier did that? She needed to be calm, collected, like the leader she was supposed to be. There was nothing to be angry about, nothing she could do or say would ever change Vladimir's mind and she knew it. The only thing he deserved was death and whether that was a bullet from her gun or one from her allies, he deserved it.

"Slower…"

A bullet? The moment she thought about it, she spat on the ground hatefully, grinding her nails deep into her own palms before she found that she was unintentionally drawing blood. A bullet was too good for that bastard; he needed to die in the most painful, most agonizing way imaginable.

"Stop it!" Why was she thinking like this? She had to relax, take control of her own body and resist these urges. You didn't wish such a thing, not a true soldier, not a brave and confident woman like her. But that girl, shrieking, begging for her mother, no hope and yet even a slight glimmer had appeared in her eyes that said "I can live…" before it was torn apart. What if her child, if she ever had one, went through that? At the very thought, she imagined a little girl with black hair similar to her fiancés' own, pinned by some stranger and being…

*BZT!*

"Ah! Oh…!" Snapped out of her furious thoughts, the radio at her side filled with static, indicating that somebody was trying to speak to her. Wiping off a bead of sweat, she finally answered it, trying to make her voice sound professional again. "This is Lt. Morotisan, over." Her father answered at the other end and it allowed her to calm down a little bit, she could always speak to him whenever she felt out of control.

"This is General Morotisan, what are you and your team doing right now?"

"We're located in Barcelona, I've allowed my men to relax there until the rest of my team arrives. However, in three days I'm taking them out to get them prepared for the upcoming fights and environments. I'm at a meadow about ten miles away, just needed some time to think and rest."

"You sound tense…" Garder muttered.

Nothing ever got past those ears of her father. She knew she could talk to him, that austere expression hiding a more emotional side that only she knew about. At first she was a little embarrassed with herself, afraid to talk to her father who always stood so confidently. She almost felt like a child about to be scolded for doing something bad and it took her a few seconds before finally answering.

"I'm…angry father. I'm so angry that this bastard would go this far and do all these horrific things for such…a mundane reason. I'm trying to stop myself, trying to control my urges but I've never felt so hideously angry before. I want to lash out, attack and kill. Father…I'm scared…"

"Veronica, do not let these things get a hold of you, I know you're stronger than that. Take a moment, breathe and don't let such thoughts impede you. Every single thing that Cents has done will be atoned for; I promise you that, I will personally not let him continue this rampage of innocent lives anymore. Veronica, my daughter…" The way he spoke, only she could recognize the everlasting love her father had for her, the pride in his voice nearly brought her to tears and what about it? She was alone, she could cry and nobody else would notice. "You know, I'm sure your mother would be very proud of you right now."

Her mother, Ileana Morotisan had died when she was ten years old due to an untimely and unfortunately unavoidable brain aneurism. She had been close to her mother, her smiling face, and when she had died she had gone into a deep and almost unbreakable depression. So her father had raised her from the depths of that misery and showed her the confidence that she would need to keep going.

"Th-Thanks father…"

"Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" he asked.

"No…I'm good now. What about you, did you only call me to ask about my team?"

"Negative, I'm going to bring you up to date on a few things. My team has fully arrived; we'll be heading out in the morning. I got work from Vorono that his team should be arriving soon too and he'll be out then. He told me that we would probably be in war in two months, but it would seem he was off by a lot here."

A single thought came to Veronica's mind, one that even Garder knew she was going to ask. "What about Nicholas?"

"…Nicholas's team will probably be the last ones to arrive, the only thing I know is he's somewhere on the coastal end of Europe putting blockades and handling a few problematic cases there. Once his team does arrive he will head out as well," Garder answered back firmly. "This is all I have to say for now. Is there anything you would like to talk about?"

"No father, I'm good now. Thank you…I love you…"

"…I love you too."

With a quick beep the radio went silent and she stood, tall and confident as she should have before with the wind blowing her violent hair around. After talking with her father, the anger she felt had vanished, replaced by serenity and understanding. No way she would lose herself to these desires, it would only mean that Vladimir had won in that regard. She would never lose herself to that anger; she would never let him win.

* * *

><p>Although Veronica had the lovely ability to rest peacefully, Nicholas did not have such a thing going for him. Assault rifle raised, he the few members of his team had set off into their section of Spain, attempting to settle the coast and help survivors and would be victims from attackers. With no people around and no sign of movement, Nicholas knew that things were not going to be alright. Feeling that all nostalgic sense in the air, he ordered his men to take cover around a single structure, lying low and listening for their next order.<p>

"I don't like this, there's nobody here, not that I can see," Nicholas murmured quickly. "Steady now, both sides take a glance around the corner but be careful." One man on the right and one man on the left furthest on each side of the complex slowly turned their heads half way around the corner. The right one was secured, as far as he could see, the left one was not so lucky. The shot was heard less than a second before blood splattered the ground. "Ah shit!" Nicholas' curse was agreed by everyone as their left hand man collapsed, blood leaking from his head.

Snipers, the greatest enemy in war.

"Son of a bitch!" He didn't say it out loud, but Nicholas' thoughts were dying to blurt it to the world. He couldn't really complain, they used sniping also so it's not like this was some sort of cheap, dishonorable tactic and in war, such mundane things just got you killed anyways. It just made life a hell of a lot harder than it ever should be. They knew the left side was dangerous, going on that side meant certain death but the right one was secured. "Alright listen up. I want four men stationed here, three of you will come with me and the other two…" He took the butt of his assault rifle and smashed the upper window above him, "get in there and see if you can find where our friend is right now. Stay covered and don't do anything stupid."

"Aye sir!" they said softly and in unison.

Flipping to the other end, Nicholas was glad not to have heard any shots. That meant that this area was indeed unprotected. He and his fellow soldiers continued to slide across the other complexes. Bending low, he finally swerved around the corner. Quickly picking out his radio, he contacted one of his men that had burst into the facility they were originally located at. "There's a bell tower, three O' clock at your area, I can see a figure but…" He tried to strain his neck, seeing if there was any way possible that he or his men could make a shot. "…I can't seem to find an opening anywhere."

He heard a few motions over the radio before a voice finally answered. "We see the figure; he's hidden behind structure of the four pillars. I may be able to wound him but it's impossible to get a kill shot."

Nicholas cursed again. "Alright listen up, I'm going to get in closer to get the shot off, do you think you can divert his attention?"

"Aye sir." The answer came back swiftly. Nicholas gave the command for his section to stay put as he lowered himself to the ground and keeping himself as hidden as he could, he began to crawl. He could hear gunfire and through his peripheral vision he could see the enemy kneeling as the bullets ricocheted off the pillars, some of them even hitting the bell so that the entire place was filled with ringing. Good though, it would disorient the sniper, allowing for an easier kill. Finally at his spot, he took his rifle and aimed, viewing the side of his head through the scope.

Easy…don't be rash…watch the movements…make the first shot count.

Breathe in…breathe out…ready…

*BANG!*

A single shot, one bullet through the head, the recoil of the body so fast that for a moment Nicholas wondered if he had actually missed. "Move out! Secure the area and be careful!" he roared. The movement was done, the adrenaline rushing through all of their bodies, carefully but firmly checking all areas. As one soldier went into one of the buildings he discovered a family of four, huddled against the corner, their fear driven eyes widening considerable when they saw him.

"Don't worry, we're here to help you all, you're going to be fine. Can you come with me please?" Not seeing the threat, they cautiously came out with him. They weren't the only ones, entire groups of families were found amongst a sea of dead, twenty five alive.

"Tsk…pointless violence." Nicholas thought angrily before finally speaking to the group. "I am sorry, for what all of you have gone through. We have a place for your safety; you'll be given a ride there. It's time you all had a well-deserved peace and rest."

* * *

><p>"I understand Captain Girikuson, out of all the people that are in touch with Cents, not one has given me a single bit of information. I have to give them the benefit of the doubt, most people would have cracked by now. I don't think we'll be getting any answers out of them, not directly anyways.<p>

"This means, sir that we're on our own with this. Well then, I'm heading off now, over and out."

Garder heard the static of his radio and then finally turned it off, standing in front of a large gate holding a few of Cents' men. He was intrigued that though they held military firearms, they dressed in casual civilian clothes, not a speck of a uniform to be seen on them. Another note that he took to notice was that how most of them were of different races and origins. In war, the perpetrators are usually that of just a single race that may or may not join forces with another. Here however, just from the first glance he could see at least 20 different origins. Some of them didn't even look like they were from Europe even, and so at that point he decided to ask some other questions. He took one of them enemy soldiers, a man in his early thirties, and had him sent to the room for interrogation. Lights dimly lit and the room humid, Garder finally sat down at the desk with the man, hand cuffed and sitting at the other end.

"…What is your name?"

"…Who wants to know?"

He narrowed his eyes, still nothing out of them, not even simple things like names.

"…If you do not have a name, then what can I call you, or do you prefer the name, useless sack of shit?"

The only answer he received was a short chuckle.

"…I'll be blunt then, what point do you have in serving Vladimir Cents? Is it because of money? Violence? Are you being threatened? Or do you all really just like creating Hell here?" Garder spoke swiftly, his eyes looking for any type of movement, such a hidden lie when the man spoke. This time he actually did get an answer, though still not one he wanted.

"Heh…Heh…Heh…money? Yes, some of us are poor; some of us…do not have a lot of money. Threatened? Our lives…are always threatened when we serve Master Cents. Creating Hell…yeah…I suppose a very select few would like to…teach the world the pain they were in. Ha…Hahaha…hahaha…but I'm afraid that none of those is the case. We serve Master Cents…for one reason and one reason only…

"…we were dreamers."

"Hm?" The answer confused the elderly general. "I don't understand…"

The man turned his head, deciding to look at the wall this time. "No you probably wouldn't, none of us did really. The only thing we originally thought was how mad this monster was. Killing our friends, killing our families, torturing us, it was…awful. You see…General…most of us do not take a liking in what we do. Most of us, myself included, absolutely abhorred the fact that Master Cents is so vicious. But we serve him for one reason and one reason only…we were dreamers."

"Dreamers?"

"Now…I can't tell you everything General. In fact I think I've said enough."

"Hm. What do you mean by dreamers?"

No answer, it would seem that the man had stopped talking and after speaking with others Garder knew that he wouldn't speak again unless he felt like it. He left, walking outside to feel the fresh air against his face. His curiosity only grew more after that, and so did his ill feelings for Cents as well. His group was nearly ready, a few more days and then he would be off and he would see just how well these dreamers did then.

* * *

><p>Class AA Diclonius Report #102<p>

Name: ?

Codename: Number Zero

Gender: Male (?)

Hair color: Dark Red

Eye Color: Dark Red

Indication on the special case of Number Zero has given not only amazing but incredibly shocking results as well. The person, Number Zero, possesses all the known attributes of the Diclonius species, including eye and hair color, horns and even vectors…but the last one is of the most interesting sort. Out of all the research done in this facility and that of the main facility, all Diclonius' vectors are those of long hand like projections. These have ranged from just a few and short numbers, to many and vastly long.

It is different for Number Zero, he appears not to be able to produce the arms that others of his kind are capable of, but instead he has another extraordinary gift. He can form his own body into that of a vector, letting all sorts of objects pass through him as if he were a ghost. It is shocking enough that we have discovered what may be the only legitimate male Diclonius in the world but to have one with such a unique ability is heart pounding.

Research will continue as progress is made.

Riku read the report he had written over and over again, staring into the cell that held his prize. He was such a pitiful, pathetic and horrible man wasn't he? How could he live with himself, how could he hold his lovely daughter Miriana with these bloodstained hands of his? Yes, dear, loveable Miriana, his own daughter, human to the end, how could he love her so much and treat these other children like animals?

"That's right, I am a pitiful man Miriana, and you don't deserve a bastard like me for a father. I don't deserve your dear mother as wife, not after all I've done."

The facility and all of its security were locked, allowing Riku to finally leave and head home. The sun was just beginning to dip down over the horizon and nothing else was said as he drove on. Arriving home, he was hugged by his lovely wife, enjoying and yet terrified by her warm hug. She would never know, she should never know, the kind of things he did for her and Miriana.

"I'm glad your home dear, hard day at work?"

Why did she have to be so kind? At this point, he just wanted to shout out all the wrong things he had been doing and then have her screech about how much she hated him. "Y-Yeah, quite a busy day but it's fine now." Lies, again and again, not a single bit of truth in his words. Coming inside, he could instantly hear the cooing of his daughter Miriana as she lay in her crib. He wanted to tell her to stop smiling, that she shouldn't be looking gleefully at the arrival of her father. Instead, he picked her up, hearing her happy squeals, and he played with her.

"…Ah my dear angel Miriana, so adorable, so precious to me. Let me look at your cute face and amazing smile. Always keeping me on my feet, always giving me a reason to keep going." His kind words hid the truth, leaving nothing but kindness to fill the baby's ears. Upon hearing them, just the mere words that were filled with love, Miriana cooed happily. Then almost as soon as she smiled, her faced turned, frowning and then she slowly started whimpering. At first her father had thought it was just merely business with her, time to change her, but instead it was something else.

"What's wrong Miriana?" The baby girl still continued to whimper, not one of pain or discomfort, but one of legitimate sadness, like a person taking her favorite toy away from her. Her small left hand reached up, gently patting her father's cheek as if to comfort him. It was only then that Riku realized that he had been crying as well, small drops of tears slowly falling from his eyes.

"Ah…you can tell can't you…" he whispered softly. "D-Don't worry Miriana, I just had a hard day at work that's all." He didn't know why he was talking to her, as if she could understand him. Quickly brushing the tears out of his face, the young girl giggled as her fathered held her close, her timid eyes seeing that tears had vanished and the smile on her father's face looked a bit brighter. "See! All better now…my lovely Miriana."

* * *

><p>Mellissa had never worn clothes like these before, a simple but comfortable blue dress that ran past her knees, small blue boots on her feet and her hair pulled into a tight pony tail. She had been washed, cleaned and prepped, her body fresh. She had been in that horrible dungeon for so many years that she had forgotten what the smell of a clean body was like. All she had to do now was find that woman and kill her.<p>

Oh running had been on her mind, kill them all then escape, it definitely crossed her thoughts more than once. But every time it did, fear of repercussion raced through her head. One time when she had tried to escape and ended in failure, Vladimir had broken both of her legs, and stuck one of his rods straight into her abdomen, leaving her unable to die but to feel unbearable agony for over a year. Even with her Diclonius healing capabilities, the scars had still not completely vanished from her body and perhaps they still wouldn't. The terribleness of those ordeals would keep her mind set on completing her mission and if she killed that woman…that she would be freed.

Right?

She hadn't been given any sort of details, the only thing was that she was sent out, unknowingly a small tracking chip was implanted into her, allowing Cents to monitor her ever movement. Just a child, off into the unknown who had no idea that she was another piece of the game to be used by the mad man's desires.

Fresh air!

Blue skies!

It was so wonderful, things she hadn't seen in years, she almost forgotten what the colors looked like. How long she continued to walk she didn't know, her mind trailing on her limited freedom before her stomach began to grumble. They hadn't given her anything, not even a slice of bread to nibble on and she knew she had to find food on her own. Her eyes darted almost instantly for anything that looked even remotely edible and she soon found herself nibbling on some berries. It was amazingly better than anything they had ever given her in that damned place but it also wasn't very filling. Although young, Mellissa knew that it would be wise to save some of the food for later and picked a handful of berries to keep in her dress' pockets.

Now water…something to quench her thirst. Luckily for her, as she walked on, looking for any signs of that woman, she ran into running stream, the sound of the water music to her ears. She didn't care if it was natural, or whatever might have been in it at the time, the moment her hands felt the chill, she instantly fell to her knees and began to lap the water up like a dying animal. So good, so fresh, so amazingly cold as it tricked down her throat.

"I hear something! Be on guard!"

The sudden voices scared her, her body tensing up as she swiftly turned on her heels. Two men in uniforms stood before her, at first looking concerned both by her sudden appearance and her direct appearance itself before finally calming down. "Sorry for scaring you my dear. It's dangerous out here, what are you doing anyway?"

"…" She glared viciously at the one who spoke, a man in his early twenties, moderately built and his hair a thick shade of brown. Something escaped her lips, a soft snarl that confused the two men as they stepped closer. "…Humans…" Yes, that was the word, the very thought that made her mind go into overdrive. These things, these apes who dare to take on appearances like her own, would cause nothing but suffering. Somewhere, in her mind, a voice was talking to her.

Kill!

Like an instant euphoria, her mind and body demanded the deaths of these two men.

Kill!

Stronger, just in distance she attacked without regard, instantly slicing off the arms of the closest to her. Gazing upon his besmirched body, the soldier let lose a primal howl, shaking his limbless body before life swept from him as his head fell from his body. Utterly horrified, his partner quickly turned around, trying to find some sort of sniper though he didn't see how a sniper could so easily take off both arms and head like that. He hadn't even heard a single gunshot so what had happened to his partner. As his mind tried to contemplate the impossible, something struck him forcefully into the back and ruptured out of his chest.

"Ah…Ahhh…Huh?" Disoriented, the only thing he saw was a gaping hole in his chest, deep, warm crimson blood spilling freshly from his wound. That had definitely felt like a gunshot, though he still hadn't heard anything and the wound was so large he couldn't imagine what kind of ammo had been used. Along with that, something was inside of him, something long that squirmed inside of his innards. What was it? What had struck him? Placing his hand near his chest, he felt something long protruding out, something that he could only describe as being a straggly arm.

"Gah…Guah…G-Get out…" He was going to die and so he had to tell that young girl to run away before she got hurt as well. But as he managed to turn his head to look at her, he just saw her standing there with her hair obscuring most of her face, only a single red gleam appearing through the colorful locks. Her face was deadly serious, almost bordering on animalistic intensity. Slowly but certainly, he felt his head turning more and more around.

More…

"…That girl…"

More…the cricks of the bones.

"…is the one…"

More…snaps and pops.

"…Who did this?"

Before his head was cracked at 180 degree turn, ripped and torn off abruptly. Mellissa's body still tensed up, listening for any other sounds of those dreadful creatures. Then, feeling safe, she went back to stream she had been cherishing.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: The next chapter finished and the story goes on. What will happen next in "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	7. Visionaries Beyond Hopeful Sights

**_Pinpoint Zero_**

**Chapter 7: Visionaries Beyond Hopeful Sights**

"Ah man, this absolutely bites." The voice came from a soldier, his tone depicting his mood but at the same adding a hint of sarcasm to it. Clearly he was annoyed at having to come and live in the wild instead of the nice soft bed of the motel he and the others had been staying at. At the time though, he understood why Veronica had brought them to this wooded and muddy area and thus expressed his thoughts as a light joke. "Met a young woman, stunning thing, might be the one…" His words were met by a chorus of laughter by his comrades.

"Victor, you can't keep a girl with you for a week." The playful retort was rebutted by the man named Victor who nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders at the same time. He could feel his boots sliding into the mud, sinking deeply in and having to be forcibly pulled out. At his side, one person expressed their displeasure.

"I understand what the Lieutenant is trying to do, but she could at least let us come the easy way, I mean it's not like we try to put our faces in the dirt in war."

Coming out of the dirt, they saw their commander sitting idly on a hill, a soft yet somewhat arrogant smile on her face. "What's a little dirt to a bunch of rowdy boys like you?" she asked heartily, earning a moody laugh from the others. "Place your aids on, tell those all around you to do the same." On her order, the soldiers began to place small black objects inside their ears, grinding them in as she did the same. Right now, crossing the muddy terrain, in and around it were over 2,000 soldiers, which only stood as half the numbers that would be with her. Obviously she needed some way communicate with her fellow men and obviously yelling at the top of her lungs wouldn't work. From her perspective, a stream of powerful men and versatile women stood before her, giving her a sense of pride that only a military officer could feel. She waited a good five minutes, letting her message cross before finally speaking, her voice breaking into everyone's ears.

"Listen up, once the rest of my team arrives, we'll be handling the far southeastern end of Europe, particularly Bulgaria and Serbia. I have assigned Caston Bernuda as the secondary leader for me." A single man came out, in his late 30s with a stern but simultaneously gentle expression. He was well built, but not so as to be ripped which went well with his moderate height. His thick black hair hung around his ears in curls, matching the pitch blackness of his eyes. She had known him since she first joined the army, knowing him as a man who liked to play practical jokes every once in a while. In truth her first impression of him was of a foolish kid, especially as her father had grated into her mind the seriousness of war. Yet beyond that, he had grown on her, showing that while he could be a jokester, he could also be a soldier, serious and ready for action. He was also Nicholas' best friend and their best man for when they got married.

"My group will be in Serbia while he and his group will be in Bulgaria. Most of you know the deal here but I'll say it anyways. We have two priorities assigned to us; one of them is to seek the safety and well-being of any people and places under the threat of the enemy. Secondly, and most importantly, we are to actively search and kill the leader of the rebellion, Vladimir Cents. Shoot on sight; kill the instant that you see him. That bastard has proven more dangerous that I think we ever thought and if you don't believe it then just take a look at the world around you. For right now, I only want you to stay here and rest, during the day, you may return back to Barcelona; however you are to return here at night. There will be severe consequences for anyone who does not follow this rule. That is all I have to say, you may do as you please now."

* * *

><p>Watching the last of the choppers arrive, Garder finally turned around to face the rows of men split down into sections of twenties that covered the field before his eyes. 4,054 men, armed to the teeth, the vast majority of them veterans of at least 20 years and some of them older than him. Like his daughter and how the others would too, he communicated with his men using the small aid in his ear. His speech was similar as well" help those in danger and kill Vladimir Cents. For those who saw him, Garder F. Morotisan gave off an unseen aura of power, strength and determination, his dark slit eyes so stern that those of weak heart would probably have fainted long ago. There was also something else in those eyes, in the lines of the elderly face and the clenching of his fists. That something could only be described as "conviction." Pure, unrestrained conviction to win the war, to destroy the enemy, to conquer the foe, to save the friends, to provide for their allies.<p>

This was where Garder was at his peak, the reason why he was the General. He and his group would be taking the further centralized area of Europe, forced to cover more distance in the same time. Clearly it would be easier for them to all be placed in the countries they were assigned instead of having to walk the many hundreds of miles there. But as Cents had conquered most of the middle and far eastern part of Europe, it would be better just to go forward, helping out anyone who needed it before finally separating into their needed sections. Even if they couldn't find Cents, something Garder found to be a little improbable considering how much the man liked to get into the action, they could at least cross the continent and rid it of Cents' servants.

The biggest problem was that it was impossible to tell who Cents' servants were and who the regular civilians were. Clearly if they ran into a group of people out in the open wilderness, it would arouse suspicions though the idea of having to ask every single passerby they met to raise their hands be searched seemed both annoying and improbable and that was if they had it easy. A good amount of the fights would actually take place in crowded locations such as cities and towns, making it all but impossible to distinguish foe from friend. In short, the battle would go like this, as it would appear in Garder's head:

Go to the location and wait, it pained him to think of it like this, but in all honesty it was the only way they could find the enemy, unless they were lucky to spot something strange first. They would have to wait for the enemy to attack directly. Whether intentional or not, it was an incredible move on Cents' part, forcing them into firstly a defenseless position where they could be attacked without notice and then put directly into a defensive position afterwards. In short, two objectives, sudden preparations and defensive positions, would have to be made before any sort of offensive measures could be carried out.

It may be impossible get into an offensive position in the first place. In a crowded location, one of Cents' men could shoot and kill a man, creating mass hysteria within the crowd and yet easily slip away, becoming relatively unnoticed. Throughout the reports, this had been the fighting style of the enemy, hide between the crowds, kill and disappear without anybody knowing a thing. Who knew how many attackers would be in those crowds, it could be one, and it could be a hundred or even a thousand, all well hidden, all seeking out prey. It was quite a predicament. As a man of war, Garder couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in Vladimir's ability to control his army. While some may see it as cowardice, forcing innocent lives into the field, Garder understood that the nature of battle did not lie in pride but in tactics. A strong army was definitely good but it certainly didn't automatically declare victory. The thing that declared victory was how an army was run. When the entirety of the South American military arrived, 70,000 men would be ready, along with the 55,000 combined countries still able to fight against Cents, although half of those would be located at the western coast. Even still, 97,500 men could easily take down the estimated 50,000 army of Vladimir Cents.

And if they could find and kill Cents, then the war was good as done. He may not have understood the concept of why these men were following their master, but he knew, or at least believed, the words told to him, that they did follow him out of the joy of making others suffer. Therefore, get rid of the main disease carrier, and the rest will cease from spreading.

There was also "Pinpoint Lifeline."

The only person who could order the plan was Garder himself and by doing so, victory in the war would be certain. It would also mean the annihilation of countless innocent lives as well because it would mean destroying everything. He would not do it, not a single part of his brain told him to use it. If it took years to take down Cents, so be it, he would do it, he would kill him no matter how long it took him. Perhaps it was arrogance; he had already admitted that although Cents antics were despicable, they were intelligent by military standards. People were dying every day, of every week, and if this war took years to finish, more innocent lives would probably die if the plan wasn't initiated.

But he couldn't use it, because he wasn't Vladimir Cents. He would not dare stoop to that level, not now, not ever.

"Everyone get prepared, we are heading out now!"

He was the first to set out…later…the rest would go on as well and war between Garder F. Morotisan and Vladimir Cents truly began.

* * *

><p>Three full months had finally passed.<p>

While war raged in Europe, peace settled in a certain home in South America. With Garder, Nicholas and Veronica in Europe, the only people there were Jessica and Ishori. Though admittedly lazy by nature, Ishori knew now that with his wife pregnant and nobody else around, he had to take more responsibilities around the house, something he was more than capable of doing. He currently took the dishes, washing the thoroughly before a loud shriek made him drop them with an ear shattering clatter.

Either some random girl had popped into the house or…

Running into the room, he saw Jessica on the floor, clutching her stomach and the floor beneath her wet. Even a simpleton with the most basic concepts of birth would understand what was going on, but the surprising part was how soon the birth had come. Another two months had been thought to pass before the birth was expected, so this was entirely unseen. The nearest hospital was only 10 miles away, but there was no time to drive Jessica there. Unfortunately he also had a very limited idea on how to deal with births.

"Hn…ah…Ahhh…" Jessica had three thoughts going through her mind. The lesser of these, and one that would become most prominent in the end, was the sheer notion of motherhood. Her little baby Elrya Alya was about to be born. Second was pain, one that radiated from soft to nearly unbearable, like the nerves in her belly were being pulled apart but unable to actually break. Third and most surprising was the thought of trying to keep her composure and actually help Ishori out. Unlike her husband, Jessica actually had an adept knowledge on pregnancy, though knowledge was still different from actually experiencing it for the first time.

"Warm…Water…rag…" She spewed out in a whisper all the things she knew they needed, groaning louder by the second.

* * *

><p>Other than the fact that lots of people died, Mellissa did not have the single understanding or concept of war. For her, what was going around her was meaningless. Finding the woman Diclonius and killing her was the only thing that was on her mind. But three months of nothing began to grate on her nerves, which combined with hunger, only made her more determined. For the first month and a half, Cents had secretly provided her with food and water, delivered by his men to her. Other than that, they paid no attention to her and her wish for freedom overran her wish to kill the humans regardless of whose side they were on. After that though, the amount of provisions had slowly declined, leaving Mellissa days or even a week without food.<p>

Mellissa, that was her name, or so they called her. She thought it was her name, or at least something similar, her last name having been taken away from the years of being imprisoned. Mothers…fathers…brothers…sisters…families…friends…those did not exist anymore. Until her capture, she never understood just what she was, or what she was capable of doing. These strange things with her vectors were an enigma even to herself. It was also then when she was first put into the dungeon that she found an elicit hatred for humans. Looking at them, their shapes, their weight, their smell, it was similar to having one's face pressed into manure. It had to be a mistake for someone like her to have been birthed by a human mother.

She would find Veronica, regardless of what happened. Whether she found her on her own or was shown the way by Cents after he grew tired of playing with her, they would ultimately meet. Sleeping in the wild, kill random people that stood before her, both from provocations and mere desire to kill humans, they would meet in the end.

* * *

><p>The Citadel of Vladimir Cents was a massive construction that was comprised of three pillar like spires. The first two on either side rose to a towering height of 327 meters. The middle rose to a breathtaking 521 meters, so high that if one stood at the very top they would be able to see the lowest possible clouds. An engineering masterpiece composed by brilliant minds from centuries ago. Who knew how many slaves or and servants had worked on it, who knew how many lives had died trying to construct the terrible piece. Before Cents' arrival, it may not have been terrible, it may have been a grand palace housing a great king who over looked his population. Not anymore, it was just the darkness of Cents' desires that overlooked a barren wasteland. So how on earth could such a thing possibly hide so long from civilization? Something standing nearly a mile into the sky would obviously provoke some sort of interaction, right?<p>

Firstly was its location. Although the citadel was a constructive master piece, it was located in one of most desolate places in Hungary. The closest thing to even be called "civilization" was over 123 kilometers away. From both locations was a short but vastly long mounted range that provided extra security and privacy.

Second was the actual security itself. The great majority of the servants guarded both the citadel itself and the outskirts of it. Very few people had so much as wondered to the area, those who did were often killed before ever setting eyes on the massive structure.

Inside, Vladimir calmly contemplated the multiple screens that appeared on the projection screen, watching the videos closely and smiling deeply. Just as he had planned and just as Garder had visualized, the war was playing out. A total of 324 of his men had been killed, compared to the 94 of the South American Army. Yet none of this put a damper on his spirits, his desires to make a world of suffering was still highly strong. Two people held his attention he most, Veronica whose name he didn't know and Garder whose face he only recognized from images.

Though not as important, he did keep a small eye on Vorono and Nicholas as well, enjoying the show. Even to him it was clear that their objective was to head over to different parts of Europe and try to help out those in need. A game of waiting, these foolish little dreamers didn't have a clue of what true desires were like. Let them try, let them keep going, walking forth, killing, saving, it hadn't worked for for years, why would it work now? Vladimir was, even if nobody else knew, was entirely screwing with them all. A game, just a single game to watch people murder each other so he could get a kick out of it. Once he got bored, once things remotely started to look dangerous for him, he could send Armata lui Dracul out and wipe all of them with a wave of chaos and destruction.

"Little Mellissa is getting a bit closer, how quaint, this should be an interesting interaction." He had kept a very close eye on Veronica whenever her image had appeared on one of the screens. At no point had she ever used her vectors, not a single bullet was ever blocked by her strange powers. She fought like the rest, concealing herself and shooting with her assault rifle. He even began to wonder if she couldn't use her vectors which made the meeting between her and Mellissa so much more interesting. Guns like those were great against humans, but against Diclonius, it was much different. But at the same time, Mellissa would have to be careful, if she struck at Veronica when she was together with her group, it would be problematic to deal with over two thousand soldiers. She would have to attack the young woman when she was alone.

* * *

><p>Blissful happiness in both eyes of the parents, perhaps more so in the mother as Jessica cradled her newborn baby girl. The only thing that kept them from being absolutely shocked by her was the fact that they knew of another similar looking person. Her pink tufts of hair were only second to her large horns that presented her exotic look. She was adorable, sleeping so peacefully with her little hand wrapping around the thick forefinger of her father. Veronica had envisioned the child as being a baby sister to her, now that was almost too true.<p>

"Eh…" A quivering little voice escaped the baby's lips, her body moving into a more comfortable position while Jessica gently wrapped her a little more tightly in the blanket.

"She's beautiful…isn't she?" Jessica didn't need an answer to her question; they had been waiting months for this day. At long last, she had finally attained the notion of motherhood and was now able to finally able to hold her dearest of things.

Her little baby girl…Elrya Alya.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Another chapter finished in a day, man I'm awesome. The story continues as time passes on, the war continues. But as death appears in Europe, a brand new life appears across the seas, the birth of the young Diclonius Elrya Alya. Many things are going around the world, things to be explained, things to be sought, so what will happen in the next chapter of "Pinpoint Zero?"<p> 


	8. Illogical Brutalities Before Us

**_Pinpoint Zero_**

**Chapter 8: Illogical Brutalities Before Us**

Due to their ever changing positions and problematic cases in Europe, Garder and the rest of his family would probably not hear about the birth of Elrya until weeks or perhaps even months later. There was no sign of Cents, though there was plenty of action. Throughout the months, Garder's team had gotten into five specific fights, three of which had occurred in major cities. At their best, it took about 20-25 days to secure the area, at their worst, 40-45 days. Just as he thought, the enemy deployed sneak attacks, always forcing them into a state of panic, then defense and then offense. As it went on, even though they kept winning, even though he got reports that four places under the enemy control had been seized and secured, there was an intense strain on the men.

At no point did the enemy ever give up. At no point did a white flag raise into the sky. They were forced to kill everyone that opposed them because even if one last man stood, he would suddenly attack. Not even them, but innocent lives as well, forcing the threat to be eliminated. It also seemed to go on forever. Every time a place was secured, a new place would be found suffering under tyrannical rule. Just keep fighting, just keep defending, no war lasts forever. A war might go on for months or even years, wars might go on a hundred years but they don't last forever. But all of it was a simple matter to the sensation of curiosity that continuously bashed against Garder's thoughts. A sensation that could be answered in the form of a one worded question.

Why?

Why keep it up? Why keep fighting? Why serve that which cared nothing for them and that which they cared nothing about. No threats, no likeness, just…intentional servitude. Who were these men, these plain ordinary men that so faithfully served Cents that they were willing to die for him? What point was it, to die again and again, with their chances slowly but surely skidding to a halt? This idea constantly barged into Garder's mind, never before had he ever felt so curious or confused about a person's actions. It would only mean that if he truly wanted to get his answer, he would have to find Cents first.

"Stop." His order was stern and precise; his men dropped to the ground and raised their weapons while Garder lowered himself to one knee and hid behind the thick trunk of a tall spruce. "Something is moving…" He paused, letting his keen ears pick up the sound. His greatest ability, the almost superhuman like power to hear specific vibrations in the air. An ability honed from years of experience. "…Northeast, in that…direction." He pointed silently, telling his men in a low whisper to keep their guard up. This was the first time they had actually managed to get themselves ready for a possible attack. Every other time had been a sneak attack. Garder's ears were great, but non-moving targets breathing normally did not exactly make a hurricane of noise. This was different, just from the mere sound Garder could tell that there was only one person, light weight considering the footsteps, and definitely not hiding.

"S-Sir…it's a girl."

Sure enough, Garder's team had accidently come across Mellissa. The Diclonius tensed up almost immediately, stopping in her tracks and cursing inside her head for having been foolish enough to be caught out in the open. Though calmer, the others did not put down their guards just yet. Vladimir Cents had proven more than on one occasion his prevision of suffering and there was nothing saying he wouldn't use children to get what he wanted. "Are you lost…child?" the elderly general finally asked. The others may have noticed it as well, but Garder's eyes keenly followed the two bumps on her head.

"SsssSsss…" He was rather caught off guard by the hiss she unleashed, her body curling up like a feral animal about to strike. "You are humans…must die…" Garder paused, looking closely at her; to his eyes he could not see any sort of weapons on her, just a simple dress that covered her lithe figure. Her words might have been surprising, but they could also see how pathetically weak she looked. Her face was pale, her finger nails dirty and just a general image of unkemptness that had she been properly cleaned and prepped, would have looked quite nice and even adorable at that.

"Hey now, don't be scared…" A man spoke in a thick accented language to the girl, stepping forward but also keeping ready. Shooting a child was definitely not on their minds, but even children could be deadly in war, especially when used by the enemy. She honestly looked timid and scared, her body hunched together and she kept making random hissing noises at them. It was a bit unnerving because besides that, she had the look of a very intelligent girl. "Hey now, don't be frightened, what's your name?"

"…M-Mellissa…" She answered it only to get him to shut up. He was far too close to her, his ugly complexion, his hideous stench; she wanted to vomit just by looking at him. "Stay back…human…" Just one more step, she was even offering him a chance to live, giving him a warning she rarely gave others. With one final step, his outreaching hand meant to help suddenly left his wrist, spewing a stream of red in the sky. At first he actually didn't notice it; he was still trying to reach out until one of his comrades screeched.

"H-HOLY SHIT!" Only then did he notice the smear of crimson against his arm. Too shocked to cry, his entire body fell flat to the floor as if a heavy weight had pinned him down.

Like those before them, none of them could even grasp that the young Diclonius was behind it. "Keep cover, watch out!" Garder's amazing hearing allowed him to grasp the vibrations of almost anything. If anybody had shot a gun, even suppressed, he would know exactly where it came from. This was different, no shots had rung out, but he did hear something, something only he could hear. It was the same kind of sound that was made when Veronica used those…hands…as she called them. Bleeding profusely, the fallen soldier tried to crawl forward before a crack was finally heard. "Kah…" His breath taken away, he felt the knives dig into his body, grinding his spine into dust. "Ahh…Ahhhh…Haa?" Barely able to turn his head, how could he believe this fifteen year old girl, without apparently doing a thing, was standing above him with such unbridled fury? With all things like logic blasted out of his mind, he could only infer that somehow, this girl was killing him.

"Ahhh…wh-what are you…demon?"

The moment he finished, he wished he hadn't spoken. Her eyes suddenly flashed dangerously. "Humans…you are all the same. Just die!" He didn't know what was happening, all he can do was beg and reach out for his general, tears streaming down his eyes. Oh it hurt, but his fears stemmed mainly from the fact that he didn't have a clue what was going on. Tighter, he felt his midsection constrict as if two hooks had clamped around his waist and were now pulling in opposite directions. "H-Help me! Please help me! Help me sir! OH FUCKING GOD HEL…!"

*SPLIT!*

It was the most sickening sound imaginable and its visual perhaps even worse. Separate from his waist, the legs and lower torso dangled around the young girl before being flung away mundanely.

"Fire…immediately." Even against a little girl, Garder's orders were tense. Shots rang out, firing in streams on the girl with not a single one coming close to hitting her.

"…Fuck! Fuck! What the fuck is she!" They were so mean, so misunderstanding, so cruel to her. What was she; just a helpless little girl who wanted to be loved but only had hate. How dare they say those cruel things to her, she would make them all writhe in misery!

"What are you?" Garder didn't ask it, it was a direct order and Mellissa was surprised at his own daring. She could kill him easily and yet he spoke with such a tone to her. "Wh-Who wants to know, I don't…"

"Answer me…immediately."

"…I…bastard…I…"

"Now!"

She sighed deeply. "I'm Mellissa alright! Gah! Fuck you human!" She just had to spit out the curse then, unable to believe mere words he forced her into obeying him.

"Answer me now, truthfully. What are you?"

"Tsk…Guh…son of a…I'm a Diclonius alright! God, are you that dimwitted?" Apparently yes, because nobody had even heard of such a word. There only conclusion, this girl was not only dangerous, she was absolutely insane as well.

"I don't understand…" Garder began heavily. "What are…Diclonius?" How dare he try to order her, yet his voice almost kept her rooted to the spot, as if the mere tone in his voice was enough of a threat to her. Managing to pull a smile though, she cocked her head to the side.

"I'm surprised, I thought you would know. Why don't you figure it out…"

"I did not ask for bullshit, I asked for clarification. Answer me immediately girl." Going through months and listening to crap by Cents' servants, the last thing he was going to have a brat telling him how to run things. "SsssSSs…damn human…you all fucking need to die." At any other time, Garder would have shot her. A child she may be, she was still an incredible threat that needed to be eliminated. Yet she was the only person in the entire world that Garder knew who was similar to his own daughter, from horns, to bright hair color to those…whatever they were, although not once had he ever seen Veronica use them in such a horrendous way.

He finally spoke again, just as strictly and direct as before. "Did Vladimir Cents send you after us?"

"Indeed I did…"

!

That voice was recognizable in an instant. The sound of that tongue that lapped suffering like a thirsty dog. "Wh-Where the fuck is he? Show yourself coward!" Garder needed to calm his men down, hearing them so frantic worried him. "It's a…video screen…" Garder couldn't see it, as he was still facing the bright haired girl but listen intently from behind. As far as he heard, they had found some sort of screen hidden in the ground which was showing Cents' ever smiling image.

"Mellissa my dear child, the idea of killing that woman does not compose of getting yourself shot. That's what you do after you have completed the mission, silly little bugger. Well then, hello good sir, you must be that famous Garder F. Morotisan I have heard so…aren't you going to look at me?"

"I can hear you just fine…Vladimir Cents…" Morotisan answered coldly.

"Oh? Can't show a little respect? A little courtesy? Never mind, you are curious about that girl there, that little girl with the horns. I saw what she did to that man, brilliantly done but a little too quick for my tastes. You must have so many questions right now, all of them attaining to that girl. Well in short, I sent her out to kill some woman with horns just like her. Do you know her?"

Garder paused for a full 15 seconds. "…What exactly are you trying to do with my daughter?"

This time the pause came on Vlad's end.

"Oh…oooh? Y-You're kidding right? That woman is…your daugh…oh god…oh my…KYA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Burst of unfitting laughter filed the trees, echoing loudly. "This is rich, beyond amazing, incredible! I haven't even met you for two minutes and already you're more interesting than ever. Ha…hahaha…oh snap! I thought it was just a coincidence but it goes so much deeper than that! You have no idea what Diclonius are.

"Tell me my good sir, how much do you love your daughter?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Garder finally asked.

"…Heh…how quaint, this should be…most interesting."

*BOOM!*

A fire, one man down, this time by a real sniper hidden in the woods. Garder, no longer able to pay attention to Mellissa, instantly set his ears on the sounds of the bullet, only knowing that as the commotion of the battle went on, she would have disappeared far from sights.

* * *

><p>"General Morotisan, you sound awful what happened?" Vorono's voice answered over the specialized radio. Thirty-four men dead, Garder sat against the tree breathing heavily as the medic wrapped the bandage around his left bicep.<p>

"We were ambushed, fifteen snipers. Captain Girikuson, your group is the closest to Veronica, head over to her now."

"I understand but…why sir?"

What does he tell him, that a fifteen year old girl with horns like his daughter and slaughtered a man using…nothing?

"Even if I explained it, I doubt you would believe it. Just head over to her, we'll meet up with you as soon as we can. I want to make some tactical changes right now."

"Understood sir, over and out."

Was his daughter capable of doing that? Could Veronica actually tear a man so easily apart? He was both concerned with her safety and the safety of those around her. Vorono was a good friend and somebody Veronica was close too, almost like an uncle. He felt confident that she and the others would be safe near him until his group finally managed to get over there. That just left one more person to call.

"Oi! This is Lt. Vega, what's up? Oh…m-my bad…what can I do for you General Morotisan?"

"We have an issue, I've told Captain Girikuson to meet up with Veronica and the others, and we'll be meeting them too. Head over there as soon as you can."

"Understood sir, what's going on exactly?"

"I will explain when we all get there. Something new has come up, dangerous also."

"…Of course sir, over and out," Nicholas ended.

* * *

><p>Vladimir Cents had been laughing so hard, he had actually begun to cry. Sitting upon his throne-like chair, he kept his hand over his face and guffawed into the palm. For four years since he first started this war, nothing interesting had emerged. Killing every day, watching people scream, as fun as it was it did get boring, and now finally something new had come up. "Garder…you are a very quaint old man, I look forward to meeting each other…try not to die until then.<p>

"…Oh…yeah…we still have issues going on in the coast don't we. Spain was it, that's where they first arrived at. Should have gotten that place in the beginning, how silly of me. I think it's well about time…I woke up those dreamers," Cents muttered darkly, slipping the silver coin between his teeth.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: New chapter finished and the plot thickens. Also Nov. 3 was my birthday, does that matter to the story? No. What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	9. Precious Gem Under The Light

**_Pinpoint Zero_**

**Chapter 9: Precious Gem Under the Light**

His expression was dark, hateful, but most of all, the look on the male Diclonius' face was uncaring and almost beaten. There was little color in those red eyes, just a blank stare of detestation for Riku Kusoku who stood in the background with the very few and select people who also knew about his existence. In the beginning, he held nothing but contempt for these bastards, on the verge of spitting obscenities whenever he saw them. Now though, he had taken a strong inclination towards Riku's face, which behind its stern form could be seen the beads of sweat and trembling lips. Obviously this was not of fear or worry; there was no need for such an emotion to cross his face yet. If he escaped, broke his binds and attacked, then such a thought would be truthful. Even though Number Zero did not understand the man's dilemma, he did know despite his young age that the man was incredibly worried about something.

And glaring at him made those lips tremble even more. So glare he did, his eyes staring for minutes without blinking. It might be wise to do this more often, just glare at him while the experiments continued. He had only just now paid enough attention to realize that his left arm, right side, and shoulder were throbbing incisively due to the orbs that bashed against them. This was the first time he had ever paid so much attention to the Director, so clear he could see the pained expression on his face. He actually wanted to smirk at him. It had been a while since he'd smiled, now would be a good time for it. But even as he tried to pull his lips upwards, the only thing that changed was his scowl, which darkened immensely.

This was not enjoyable. Even though the pain isn't nearly as bad, even though the man was in some sort of pain, Number Zero couldn't find any sort of joy in it. He couldn't even find a sadistic joy in it. In short, even though this was the first time he could see someone else in misery, he didn't feel anything for it. In fact, the male Diclonius almost felt a sense of pity for him, just because Riku looked so miserable standing there.

But that pity was almost instantly offset by hatred again, deep uncaring hatred that threatened to tear his world apart if left unchecked.

"That's enough; you can rest now…Number Zero," Riku muttered through the microphone before leaving. He didn't pay any more attention to his prized Diclonius. Finally alone in the corridor, his fist slammed against the wall, bruising it. "Shit!" He wanted to yell it out, he wanted to scream, yet it came out as a loud whisper, his bloody fist shaking uncontrollably. "What kind of man am I? How can I be married to such a beautiful wife and have such an adorable daughter and be like this? I always tell her, that cute baby of mine, how she should always believe in the good of the world. How can I even call myself her father? Haa…Haa…Haa…" It was too much for him, he couldn't take a second longer of that hateful stare at him.

"…Damn it. D-Damn it. Damn it. What have I done, how did I get caught up in this damn mess! Damn it. Damn it. Damn it all. How did this happen to me? I'm supposed to be good, that's what I've always said to Miriana. I'm supposed to be good, helping out the innocent, helping out those in trouble." He was crying, despair etched upon every part of his face while his teeth ground together.

This was no longer enjoyable, this was no longer science. He might not have known or in truth cared too much for the male Diclonius, but there was no way that he could keep this up and tell Miriana these things while he himself was breaking every moral law there was. "What if I…left?" The first thought was instantly eradicated from his thoughts. This was not just a normal job, this was a prison, and the ever watchful eyes of Kakuzawa would never dare let him leave. Once you came to this prison, you did not leave unless you died. Although, perhaps faking death would help. That thought was also eradicated. Sure he may be able to escape the clutches of the facility, but what would it do to his family? The mere pressure of it on Miriana and Misane was something he could not allow.

"…I am…a terrible person…so terrible."

Hours passed, the facility was heavily locked and though unseen inside, bright moonlight basked the outside area. Down in the lower basement, the Diclonius slept on hard beds, something they should have been thankful for really considering they even got such a thing here. Number Zero did not sleep yet, but just sat down with his head low and his eyes gazing at his own knees.

"Huh?" Startled, he heard the small flap underneath the door open up and something slide in. Whoever did it obviously didn't stay around and the sound of steps echoes away. First confusion, then disbelief, appeared on the Diclonius' face, eying with some concern the heated plate of food.

The aroma alone was good enough. Fried rice, pieces of chicken and beef and a few other items that were unrecognizably foreign but looked just as good as the others. Two types of utensils were on the plate, chopsticks and fork/knife combination as to let the Diclonius choose how he wanted to eat it. Kind of foolish really, the male Diclonius never used Western silverware before. More so, why on earth would a plate of fresh food suddenly be put into his cell? They got to eat twice a day and their food always consisted of plain mixed foods, just enough to get the nutritional value needed. His very first thought was poison; they must have contaminated the food somehow. Yet even that seemed unlikely, if they wanted to poison him they could just put it in his normal food. They had gone out of their way to actually cook this wondrous looking meal.

Surprisingly, he actually didn't wonder on questions for long. If it wasn't poisonous then he would get a nice meal, perhaps the only one in a lifetime. If it was poisonous, then he could finally kiss this worthless world goodbye. He slowly walked over to it, picking it up and relished in its warmth. With the cold air always in the cell, he had the crazy sensation just to lay his head on the food itself. Somehow he thought it would be more comfortable than those rock hard things they called beds. Carrying it back to his bed, he sat down, holding the chopsticks between his fingers and poking the rice and other assortment of edibles like a child curiously poking an insect. Yes, he was curious, though the look on his young face still said uncaring. He did wish that he could've seen who had actually given him this food. He should have quickly looked, at least to see the back of the person, to recognize this little bit of compassion. It was compassion, even if it was some sort of an attempt to kill him.

"Diclonius…"

He doesn't know why, he merely muttered the word slowly. It was only then that he actually began to pay attention the sensations around him. Due to his unique position, though he was placed in the same area as the other girls, his room was blocked from their view. He could still feel them, their strange energy that inflamed his mind. He could hear the louder ones; those who were angry, viciously cursing their false masters who had turned their lives into a hellish nightmare.

"Damn humans! Damn humans! Damn it! Damn it! Fuck! Fuck! Shit! Damn them all!" A flurry of curses from multiple voices, it was nothing new to him. Yes, hate them, he wanted to hate them too, wanted to curse wildly and exclaim his opinion to the world. They had anger inside them, furious dispositions that must be let loose lest they blow a blood vessel.

"Shit! Shit! It hurt! It hurt! Fucking humans!" More curses, a constant stream of insults and hate that if it were mud, his entire room would be filled just by the single girl and her lividness. "HATE! I HATE THEM!" It was louder, almost annoying now, and he hates them, too.

But…

"Sh-Shut up…" he whispered.

Still it continued, more hate.

"I HATE THEM! FUCKING HUMANS! IT HURT!"

"Shut…up…" He honest to god wanted them to be quiet now. He hated them too, he despised them too. But yelling, screaming, he had long learned that such a thing does not give way to rewards.

"BASTARDS!"

They just won't be quiet. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up." Repeated harshly under his breath, his powers radiated through his fingers, splitting the chopstick in half. Shouldn't he agree with them? He also wanted to yell his hatred but instead he wanted to tell them all to shut their goddamn mouths. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up." Their screeches were like claws against the chalkboard, they ground on his nerves, making the hairs on his neck stand up. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up." Diclonius had the genetic makeup to hate humanity. At some point in their lives, whether on instinct or if they needed a push, they would most certainly kill without exception. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" But he no longer vented his anger out on humans, he vented them out on these girls who for the love of god wouldn't be quiet. Maybe he didn't even know it himself, but his whispers were finally loud and clear.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SH-SHUT UP! **SHUUUUT UUUUUUP!"** He couldn't take it anymore, rambling again and again and again and he hated it because he didn't understand. Every logical bit told him that he too should yell at the humans but instead he felt contempt for Diclonius. Could he be called a Diclonius if his hate was for the screams of the tortured, of his own kind?

How could he be called a Diclonius then?

"Haa…agh…Haa…ugh…shut up…just shut up already. Stop yelling, stop screaming. All of you…what's the point of it! Do something else, anything else!" Panting heavily, he spoke aloud without meaning to do so. "Why? I feel that even if I hate those humans, it won't bring me any joy. If I kill them, it won't bring me any joy. If I scream, it won't change a damn thing at all. So all of you just shut your mouths already! Stop yelling! Hit the wall or something! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!

"Ahh! Haa…Haa…Haa…Huh! Am I truly…a Diclonius? How can I be anything like them when I'm so different? Kuuuugh! Haa…Haa…I…I…I don't know what I want. What do I want? What am I here for? If I can't find joy in killing them, what can I find joy in?"

He was angry and disappointed, but mostly…he was empty inside. But after some time, the voices did die down. Calming himself, he picked up the fork clumsily, holding it tightly and started stabbing the pieces of rice, not understanding how he was supposed to get the grains between the tight spaces. Deciding that it was useless, he threw the utensils away and ate with his hands.

It was good.

The splendid taste of the rice and chicken slipped down his throat with great haste. It was perfectly quiet again; thank goodness. He wasn't sure how long he could take those terrible ramblings back there. Every bite was more delicious than the last. It was definitely something he had to savor, though it didn't quench his uneasiness. Clearly he wasn't human, even without the horns, hair, and eyes, no normal person could do what he could. At the same time, he couldn't call himself a Diclonius either, so different from the others.

* * *

><p>"Ahhh!" The happy squeal lifted his heart up as Riku stepped into his house, watching his daughter happily crawling towards him with her almond black eyes shining innocently. Lifting her up, he snuggled his cheek against her laughing face. He was in a surprisingly good mood today, playing with his daughter while she giggles in his arms.<p>

"Did you miss me, Miriana?"

"Ah. You're home Riku." Stepping into the room, the man's wife Misane gazed politely at him. "I just finished the meal. I hope you don't mind some rice and chicken." Ready to answer her casually, he suddenly felt a cold chill run up his spine. It had to be a coincidence, which was obvious enough. It was a regular and common meal that people ate on a daily basis. Still, he couldn't help but feel that dreadful chill race down his spine and spread throughout his body.

"Riku? Do you not want that?"

"O-Oh…N-No. That would be wonderful Misane," he replied, smiling back at her. Why did she have to make that? Out of all the things she could have cooked, it just had to be that. Sitting at the table, seeing the plate before his eyes, his eyes actually wandered around for a fork and knife.

It was good though.

"Riku, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, just tired though. The food is great dear, one of the best you've ever done!"

His compliment, sincere, but also hiding his feelings, made Misane smile widely.

* * *

><p>"Wh-What!" Vorono wasn't sure if he had heard correctly. His expression was twisted in horror, unable to believe the news he had just heard. While heading back to meet with the others, he had received a most terrible message. "That's impossible, how could…?" Who else could believe that the city of Getafe, Spain would've been all but completely wiped out? Literally, the entire place had been wiped clean off the map, the number of survivors only a few hundred at best.<p>

"I d-don't know sir," the message exclaimed. "Reports say that…Cents' army overran the entire city, killing everyone. Those that are alive might not even make it due to their injuries. In truth, survivors might only be in…a few dozen at best."

The very thought made his skin crawl. Had they been off in the estimation? It was thought that Vladimir Cents had around 50,000 men spread throughout Europe. To take down such a large city and wipe nearly everyone clear of it was…impossible.

"To do something like that would take at least…90,000 soldiers. I won't be surprised if Garder already knows about it, but once we meet up with him we'll explain. In the meantime I'm going to see about sending reinforcements over, to at least secure the coastal area. If Vladimir can end a population that easily, there's nothing to say he can't reclaim the coast again."

"Understood sir!"

* * *

><p>Things were getting hectic in one of the many military offices in South America. Five people of different origins sat together with their fingers tightly woven together and heads bowed deeply. "This has become even more problematic than we thought. A city of nearly 100,000 people were wiped out, truly we have been underestimating Vladimir Cents. Obviously we need to send more people out as Captain Girikuson said, but…"<p>

"But we need something else," another replied heavily. "They've been working on a few serums for military use. It won't be enough to win this war on its own and we don't nearly have enough for everyone."

"It doesn't matter, send the shipment overseas at once, and make sure Garder gets them!"

* * *

><p>The only thing that set their mind at ease when they finally arrived to meet each other was the fact that reinforcements would be coming. Still, everyone, with the exception of Garder's own men who knew already, was curiously waiting for what their leader had to tell them. Spread throughout the area, it was impossible for everyone to even see Garder but they could at least hear him through the microphones in their ears. This had to be very important, especially when it somehow out prioritized an entire city vanishing on the spot.<p>

"Listen up and well, we have an issue at hand, one that is going to be hard to explain and unbelievable. Therefore you must believe every word I say, regardless of how much you may not believe it.

"…We are being attacked by…things beyond our control. My team was attacked by a girl of about fifteen years old, with bright colored hair and pair of horns on each side of her head."

She could feel all the eyes looking at her, yet Veronica's face is just as surprised as everyone else. "W-Wait! Do you mean…?"

"Aye. Lt. Morotisan, come here now."

His words were demanding but not harsh. Still, she couldn't help but notice that many of her father's men were shaking when they see her. What exactly had happened out there? Finally coming towards her, he stated plainly. "You are not being punished, but you are here forth to abandon your spot as the Lt. of your group. From now on, you will remain with my group." Veronica couldn't believe her ears, and yet it was Nicholas who burst out.

"That's outrageous sir! There's no reason for her to do that!" Veronica's team murmured in agreement, she was a wonderful leader who everyone got along with. While they certainly had nothing against Caston with being their main leader, it still made no sense for Garder to give such an order. "Garder! Why?" Vega roared.

"…The incident with the girl has proven troublesome. She has…some unique weapon that cannot be seen, can slice a man to pieces and can even deflect our bullets. I am ordering that if anybody runs into her or someone like her, to retreat or at the very least be on your guard. I only feel that because Lt. Morotisan shares similar features, that she might be put in a dangerous situation." His words were cleverly said because only Nicholas and Veronica knew the truth behind them.

"These orders are final, I will allow rest for the day and night and then separation and search will begin again."

"Father? What exactly happened out there?" Along with her Nicholas and Vorono, who for the first time would now hear of Veronica's amazing ability, the group sat alone. Garder sighed heavily.

"Nicholas already knows, Vorono, what you are about to see is something I have hidden about my daughter for years. The only people who clearly know about it are Nicholas and I. I ask of you, as my greatest friend, to keep this a secret from everyone else. Veronica…use that…ability of yours."

"What?" Instead of doing what he said, she actually gapes at him. "Are you sure?"

"Aye."

She nodded, looked around and proceeded to unleash her vectors, lifting a small rock up and holding it steadily in the air. "Huh?" Vorono's face was almost comical looking, mouth hanging wide. "How are you…doing that Veronica?" She wasn't sure how to answer really; even she couldn't explain her own powers.

"To be fair Vorono, I don't really know myself. Ever since I was a child, I've been able to use these hands. Well they look like hands to me; for some reason other people can't even see them. My father always tried to keep it a secret and for the most part I never really use them that much. But…what I don't understand." She answered while looking at her father. "...Is how you said this other girl actually killed and blocked bullets?"

"Aye." Another simple answer from her father.

"I've never…even thought of doing such a thing. Can I even do it?" she asked slowly.

"I don't know Veronica. But now you understand the seriousness of this situation. While I do trust you, I only feel that I need to keep a more careful eye on you. Likewise, my own men have been put into a state of fear right now. With you around them more often, I'm sure their anxiety will die down a bit. Vorono, obviously I have held a lot from you, I am sorry for that. Can I assume that you will continue being the Captain of this army?"

A low laugh rumbled from the muscular man. "You don't have to worry about that Garder. This might be…beyond my scope of understanding but…I still believe Veronica is a good person and that you have your reasons for what has happened, both now and in the past." Veronica smiled angelically at him; he was definitely a good friend, both to her and her father. "Veronica, can you tell me more about these…hands of yours? I won't tell my men about them, as you wanted Garder, but if we do run into something, I'd like to be at least somewhat prepared."

"The thing is this is really the only thing I've ever done with them, just lifting up small objects." She waved the rock around again. "There really isn't…anything I can tell you besides that. Killing people, blocking bullets, I never thought I could do such a thing. I'm sorry."

"No. Thank you though. This is crazy but…it's either believe it or go insane I guess." Words were spoken, a secret was finally revealed.

* * *

><p>The half crescent moon shined brightly in the starry sky as the sound of footsteps reached Nicholas ears. Perhaps somebody going to relieve themselves, he tried his best to go back to sleep. He had managed to find himself a tree in which he could comfortable lean against. "Nicholas…" Propping his head back up, he could see Veronica standing there with an outstretched hand, a small smile on her face.<p>

"Ver? What's up?"

"Sorry for waking you up but do you think you can come with me?"

He really had no objections and followed his fiancé. They had both removed their military uniforms at the time, only wearing their casual clothing. For about ten minutes, they walked, going through a small wooded area until arriving to a wide open field of green grass with a magnificent lake in which the moon was reflected. "It's been awhile since I saw you Nicholas, and I came upon this place yesterday and I wanted to bring you here." Her hand reached out, gently grasping his and turning him to face her. "We might not see each other again for a long time. I wanted to spend this time together with you here. I thought it was kind of…romantic." She actually blushed a little, she was always assertive and confident so to act like this was a bit unlike her.

"Anytime I am with you will be wonderful." His words caused her already red face to turn the color of a tomato.

"You are too kind. I'm still a little worried though; I can't help but think my father took me out of my unit for some other reason. I guess I'm just afraid of myself really. I mean, what am I?" Comforting her, Nicholas put his hand on her cheek, softly rubbing it.

"There is nothing wrong with you my love, you're just unique. Can you imagine how many people would want your powers? Even if we can't explain it, you have an amazing gift and I know you'll always be good and use it fairly."

"You really are wonderful…" Barely finishing her sentence, her warm lips locked against his. It was another splendid feeling, made all the better by the location with moonlight gleaming on them. It has been month since either of them had kissed and at that moment, Veronica felt the urge that tonight will be special. The kiss, calm and collected at first took on a more passionate side when Veronica slipped her tongue inside his mouth. It was sudden and unexpected but the young man eagerly let it in. The warm taste of her mouth and tongue was not new to him. What he did not expect though was Veronica to take his hand and place it upon her left breast.

Tonight, this night under the moon, she wanted more than ever to feel love against her body. She was his fiancé, his soon to be wife, so such actions were not wrong. Still he was concerned about the suddenness, but with the look of approval in the woman's eyes, his fingers squeezed. He had never felt a lovelier thing and she had never made a lovelier sound. He carefully squeezed again, earning another playful squeal from the woman before moving his hand over to the right breast. Only he, as her fiancé, could touch her so intimately like that. She could feel her face getting hotter and hotter before reaching new levels when his hand finally snuck underneath her shirt.

Both of them knew where all of this would lead to, the thing she wanted most of all. She wanted him to touch her, to make her happier than she had ever been before. Rubbing her soft skin gently, Nicholas ever so slowly reached up, cupping the left orb gently. Hardly able to compose herself when he touched her body from the outside, to feel his touch on actual skin was too much for her. Face red with passion, the soft moan that escaped her lips said everything. With every caress, she felt as if the world was getting hotter and hotter, far too hot in these clothes at least. "Ahh…Ahh…it's so hot." Her voice was almost pleading and as with any good person, he needed to make her happy. Veronica didn't wear a bra, when Nicholas lifted the shirt off her, he was greeted by her well-endowed chest immediately. He must have thought that he was the luckiest man in the world right now. Only he could have such a beautiful woman as his own.

His eyes actually did not gaze upon her figure for long, though splendid, to show that he truly cared he actually moved his sights to her own face. While he truly found her half naked form amazing, by looking at her face it showed that this wasn't the important thing about her. He loved her and not just her body. But it was unfair for him to do all the work; she had to get some control right? In a few short seconds both of their upper garments had fallen to their feet and the most passionate of kisses was issued. Her left arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him even closer so that her chest was pressing against his own and drove her tongue deeper inside. Only he would be allowed to feel and touch her in such a way, to mark their line as lovers. Of course, they were only half way through.

As the kisses intensified, as his hand rubbed her breasts gently. He felt her own slender hand reach down and he honestly felt a little bit embarrassed when she actually began to unzip and pull down his thick jeans. She was beautiful, nearing on angelic. Bright violet hair slipped between those horns. She was on the verge of being exotic, like a ruby glistening before him. He almost felt as if making love to her would taint her, even if she was his fiancée. Because of this, he kept his body close to her but broke the kiss, looking a bit crestfallen. "Are you sure about this Veronica?"

He was willing to do it; this was not a matter of right and wrong. They were engaged, soon to be married, such things as sex were both wanted and accepted by both of them. However, Nicholas was also smart enough to take things into consideration. Veronica on her part actually took the time to think about this. To have him touch her in the most intimate of ways possible, to have her own family, something big had to come up to make her stop now.

"Yes…" her only answer was breathed out.

In thirty seconds, they were both unclothed. Even after battle, with a few minor scars running along her body, she was pristine. He had never seen and definitely never felt a more luscious figure in his life. He wanted to be gentle, he wanted to polite but there was no choice in the matter, he must unfortunately dirty this beautiful person before him. Therefore, he was never rough or dominating even if he wanted to be. Every time his hand curves behind her back, it was to say that he would protect her. When his hands slide down and squeeze the soft cheeks of her nude bottom, it was to say that he would always be there.

Every time her lips pressed against his own, it was to say that she too would protect him. When her slender leg lifted up to wrap around his waist, pushing him inside of her, it was to say that she would always be there too. This was not sex, while similar; sex was only the action of bodies against bodies. This was in its truest form, commitment, to let the other know that no matter what happened, they would live and die for each other.

With the moonlight gazing overhead, and the soft ripples in the lake, Veronica fell back onto the fresh green grass swaying in the light wind with Nicholas on top of her. Two lovers, alone in the moonlight could only be the picture perfect image of passionate understanding.

"Ah!"

"I'm sorry…" It was the first time for both of them. He never intended to hurt her. He didn't know how gentle he has to be. He certainly didn't want to make such a wonderful person uncomfortable. He'd already dirtied this gem, he didn't want to break it.

"N-No...it's fine. I just wasn't ready…GUH!"

"It's alright Ver."

"No…it's not that." The first groan had been because of love, the second one however was because she had felt a strong sensation in her head. Pushing herself off, she raised herself up to one knee, looking around carefully. "Is something wrong Ver?"

"Do you…feel something?"

He had no idea what she was talking about but her expression had taken a much more serious look. "I'm sorry Ver, I don't feel anything." She looked closely at him, his confused face clearly telling that he didn't know anything. It was hard to explain her feelings, at first it felt like a headache that only lasted a second and then…Then, her mind felt strange, as if the back of her head was somehow throbbing painlessly.

"I think I'm just tired. It was wonderful Nicholas," she whispered, lightly kissing his lips. "Let's get some sleep now."

Twenty meters away, behind the tree, Mellissa glared at the two lovers, preparing her attack.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished, and as for the reason we actually have this story rated M. Of course I've written many love scenes and for me, it doesn't really matter. However even with them I always like to at least put it in to where it flows with the story and I try not to be too explicit. This is a plot after all, not a lemon. But passion will have to stop as a familiar face has finally caught up with Veronica. So what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	10. A Small Change In Points

**_Pinpoint Zero_**

**Chapter 10: A Small Change in Points**

If Nicholas believed that making love to his own fiancé was an act close to a sin, then it could only be imagined the pure outrage that Mellissa felt that very moment. She wasn't the least bit embarrassed by catching the two in the act, hell she barely understood the concept of sex anyways. Having been taken at the age of ten years old, she had never gotten to that part in life where the whole "bees and birds" would be explained. She did know just enough to get her riled up and she wasn't sure who she wanted vent to her anger out on more. Most certainly it would go to that idiotic human. How dare he defile such a pristine creature with his filth? Yes, at the same time she was trying to kill that woman, but she was still a Diclonius and in turn she had no hate for her. It was only fate that she had to die, for her own freedom that she wanted so much.

At least until now. Clearly this woman enjoyed the act, allowed him to defile her in such a horrendous way. Could such an act ever be forgiven? She could never forgive the human for sure and there was little thought about the woman then. Even if she wasn't disappointed, she would still have to die. Which was luckily enough for her, as she followed that old man from far away, she would not only run into her prey, she would run into her completely alone. Well there was that one guy but it wasn't like he would pose much of a threat. He wasn't even armed for one thing, though even if he was it would've done little in the end.

As they got dressed, she knew she had to make her move. Part of her wanted to slaughter them, or at least the man, as slowly as possible. At the same time, intelligence told her she needed to be quick here. If the entire battalion came again, she'd probably be hard pressed to escape this time. Without another thought, she rushed forth, her lithe feet hitting the ground lightly with each step.

"What?" The first to notice the Diclonius was Nicholas, turning confusedly before Mellissa unleashed her vectors. Before the deadly arm could cleave the top of his crown, he felt himself suddenly jerked back, losing balance and falling hard on his back. He had felt something sharp, like razor wind slice above him, cutting off a few strands of his hair. "Agh! Ver?"

"…You…" Veronica whispered softly, glaring at the girl with both distrust and fascination. She had seen it, that long straggly arm that was exactly like hers. No doubt, this was the girl that her father had been talking about. Mellissa frowned deeply, lowering her body like a predator about to pounce, cursing her miss.

"I saw you two, how could you let such a bastard touch you like that?"

What was at first confusion quickly turned into irritation. "You know, it's quite rude to spy on people young lady. Another thing, that 'bastard' you're referring to happens to be my fiancé. More importantly you must be the girl that my father spoke about before." Veronica held herself steadily, whereas Mellissa was like an animal about to pounce, Veronica was in more subtle form, like a professional master in martial arts. "Nicholas, get some help, call the others over here now," Veronica murmured, flexing her fingers tightly. She wasn't sure how this fight would go, though in the moonlight she could clearly see one thing about this girl. She was far weaker physically than she was letting on. Her face was pale and dirty, hair unkempt and she could even see a slight crack on one of her horns. More so, the strange sensation in her head was stronger than ever and it appeared to be directly because of the horned girl in front of her. "What are you doing to me?"

"Hm?" Now Mellissa was surprised. "I didn't do anything to you…st-stupid!" She felt a bit out of her league with this adult Diclonius. Veronica could tell that she was being serious and hoped she wasn't about to have some sort of brain aneurism. Watching Nicholas run back, Mellissa made her move; she had to kill this woman now before it was too late. Freedom with her death, freedom to finally escape this hellish world forever, she attacked the head, mid-section and left leg. Veronica wasn't sure what to do in the beginning, this was the first time she had ever faced another Diclonius in combat. It was the first time she'd ever seen her own unique ability used against her and yet…

*Whoosh*

She side-stepped, keeping her balance, lifting her leg up and in almost dance-like formation, completely avoided the arms that swarmed around her. She had to give credit where credit was due; she knew that only she could see these arms, had she not been able, this would've been much harder. Seeing them though made things much easier. These hands were nothing more than ropes of fire. She did not want them to touch her but, avoiding ropes wasn't impossible and for her, trained by her own father, it was almost too easy. Any threat she felt from the child all but completely vanished when her hand grasped Mellissa's shoulder, swung her foot around and slammed her harshly to the ground.

"Gah!" Feeling spit and bit of blood leave her lips Mellissa could hardly believe what had happened. Diclonius used vectors right? She was a Diclonius, right? So why on earth did she just knock her down with pure force? Trying to collect herself, her vectors gripped to the dirt and shot off, back flipping far too high and landing far too lightly for any normal person to do. Veronica secreted told herself that once this was over, she'd have to try some of this herself. "Don't look down on me…I'm…not weak."

Easy to anger, Veronica only kept her composure as she held her hands out, flexing her fingers and waiting for her next move. She may not have had the physical strength of a strong man, but her skills and flexibility made her more than just a lethal foe. All of it, taught to her by her father, her eyes narrowed at the girls neck. With just a twist of her slender wrists, she could easily snap it twain and leave her to die. Then again, unlike fighting real soldiers, killing a child wasn't in her best interest and besides, she was so weak and pathetic looking. Nothing screamed "abused" like this young girl, who almost seemed to be desperate in her actions.

Sliding to the left, then the right, ducking, against a master, there was little a novice who threw "ropes" around could ever hope to beat. In a single instant Veronica's left elbow hit right into the girl's windpipe. As she choked, gasping for air, another blow to her shins and shoulders and she was once again on her back.

"You should learn to give up, girl," Veronica uttered simply.

"Ah! I don't get it; you haven't used your vectors once!"

"Vectors?"

"You know…your hands!" Mellissa cried. Veronica had to assume she was talking about her powers. She had never heard of them referred to as vectors, then again it wasn't like she had them studied either. Her father had been rather explicit in making sure that she keep them a secret and truth be told, she had no problem with it. Yes, she had an amazing gift, but she almost never used them except in minor cases. Perhaps it was her father rubbing off on her, she had become so good with her normal hands that what reason was there to use these extra ones?

"There's no need for me to use them."

Mellissa was getting upset, if she couldn't kill this woman soon, then not only would back up arrive, she would not get the freedom she so desperately sought. Her want had become so great that even if Vladimir had come up right now and explicitly told her he wouldn't free her, she would still attempt to kill the woman anyways from sheer want. Five years in that dungeon, dark, dank, pain every day, every moment of twisted agony. "JUST STAND THERE AND DIE!"

The third time on her back, Mellissa had actually started to cry and Veronica didn't think she had seen a more pathetic and defeated looking person in her life. Any sort of hate or disgust she might have felt for the girl then was immediately replaced by sheer disappointment and most of all, pity. "You know, this obviously isn't getting you anywhere, please stop."

"Shut it…traitor!" Mellissa cried out, trying to arch her body back into a defensive position while Veronica merely shook her head. There wasn't a clue in her head while she would be considered a traitor, especially as she didn't even know the girl.

"You know, I can't be a traitor if I haven't betrayed anything." Where there was once a fight, Veronica was now merely chiding Mellissa who didn't take the remark well. But now that the adult woman had gotten a better handle on the other's vectors, avoiding and countering became not only possible, but downright easy as well. So when Mellissa was thrown to the ground for the fifth time, she lost it.

"Ahhhh! Just stop it! Stop it! If I don't kill you, he won't let me go! I'll have to go back in that place! Just stand there, let me kill you!"

"Who?" Veronica asked, genuinely curious.

"You know, the bastard who put me in that…place. The Twisted Relic."

Even without all the nicknames surrounding him, Veronica could still recognize the look of despair on the girl's face. There was only one name that could put any person into such a state in these times. Before the young woman get a word in, the sudden sound of guns cocking surrounded them, no less than a hundred men appearing and that was just the ones that could be seen. "Ah!" A soft whimper escaped the poor girl's lips, her body tightening offensively, now shrunk back defensively as Garder finally stepped forward.

"You know girl, I wouldn't have thought you'd have been so foolish as to follow us, especially with so many of us around." His voice was icy, lacking any sort of mercy in it. Around him, two thoughts were going through people's minds. For the newer ones, they wondered who this girl was and why she had the same horns as the former lieutenant before immediately understanding that this girl was the person Garder had spoken about. For the others who had seen the girl before, fear gripped them, offset only by Garder's previous words of numbers which was used to calm them down. In truth, he didn't know if they could kill her even with all their men, though there was no need to worry, right now, even if he didn't know it, he had the advantage.

"You came all this way, just to kill my daughter?"

"Huh?" Veronica automatically responded. Obviously she knew the girl was trying to kill her, she had been rather adamant in saying it. What surprised her was that her father not only knew it, he had apparently known it for some time. "Father, you mean you knew about this?" Mellissa was sort of glad that the other woman had decided to talk, it left her free to be silent, and more importantly, think of a way out. Changing his cold hearted gaze, he looked upon his daughter just as sternly but more lightheartedly.

"Aye, when we first met her, Vladimir Cents had a video camera set. I was told that this girl was called…a Diclonius…and that she was sent by Cents to kill you." Garder spoke clearly, but his words only left Veronica more startled than before.

"W-Wait a second! Father, what the hell is a…Di-clonius?" Unable to help herself, Mellissa snorted then quickly flinched when the guns cocked dangerously.

"You really don't know? That's what you are, it's what I am. All of us, with our horns and our vectors, we're Diclonius. We're not like these humans, well I'm not at least, and you're just freaky!"

Veronica had never felt more out of place in her life. She couldn't even grasp her mind around this whole "Diclonius" thing and she kept wondering if that was some sort of Hungarian insult that she never heard about. There was one thing though she could comprehend and she instantly confronted her father about it. "You knew about her wanting to kill me! Don't you think it would've been nice to tell your own daughter that somebody was trying to personally assassinate her?" She might have loved her father, but right now, nothing but contempt filled Veronica's heart. She not only felt angry with Garder, she felt betrayed, as if she had lost something important connecting herself to him.

"I did not think that the girl would have come so soon and I was busy with other things as well. Perhaps I should've mentioned such a thing to you though. It doesn't matter; we will kill her right now."

"No!" The violet haired woman held her hand out, confusing everyone, and Mellissa most importantly. "Just wait right there Garder…" She spat his name out but other than narrowing his eyes, he said nothing yet. At this moment, she was not one of his soldiers; she was an independent woman who was going to make her own decisions. Turning back to the timid Diclonius, Veronica asked in much more genial voice than her father. "What's your name?"

"…Mellissa…" Though still confused, the pink haired girl nevertheless answered much more easily than when Garder had demanded before. While most of the men stepped back in fear of retaliation, Veronica merely walked up and lowered herself to her knees so that she could be head level with the girl. Garder, irked at the way things were going, nevertheless remained where he was and let his daughter do what she wanted, for the moment at least.

"Hey Mellissa, I'm Veronica." The fifteen year old girl had to admit, it was easier when people were talking kindly to her, and it also helped that the person doing it happened to be a Diclonius, too. When she didn't reply, Veronica continued speaking.

"Why did Cents send you?"

"…He said that if I killed you…he'd let me go. He would free me and never hurt me again," Mellissa responded. "That's why you have to die…" Again, another fearful movement from the men, all of them expecting a sudden attack from the girl.

"How do you know Cents will keep his word? He's lied to millions of people, what makes you any different?"

Mellissa bowed her head low, twiddling her fingers nervously. When she spoke, it was in a dry whisper. "I don't know. But this is the only thing I have left. If I don't do it, then I'll definitely never be free."

"Hold it right there." Vorono had finally spoken up. "You said that Vladimir Cents sent you, right?" His question as only answered by a low growl from the girl who shot a glare of pure disdain at his direction.

"I suggest you answer girl," Garder uttered coldly, not getting any response until Veronica spoke in a much kinder but still serious tone.

"Tell us Mellissa."

"…Yes."

"If that's true, then would you happen to know where Cents is right now?"

Garder's expression intensified. Vorono did have a point there, they were trying to find Vladimir and that was proving easier said than done. He was now glad that he hadn't killed the girl yet, especially if she could truly help them find her. "I sort of…do," the girl whispered softly.

"Listen up…" Her eyes flashed again with annoyance, out of all of them, she disliked the old general the most. "I will make a compromise for you. We are on a search and kill mission for Vladimir Cents and right now you are the only person who has any idea of where he is. If you help us find him, I will see to lowering your punishment."

But Mellissa wasn't ready to change sides so easily. "He already said that he'd free me after I killed the other Diclonius anyways."

Veronica placed a single hand on the girl's shoulder, one of comfort and support. "Listen to me Mellissa; Vladimir Cents isn't going to keep his word. He's done it to every person he's met. He lied, fooled, and ultimately killed them. You aren't any different Mellissa. He's just going to betray you like everyone else. I know you may not like them, but we are all here to stop Cents and we'll help you. Mellissa…give me your hand." The poor girl wasn't sure what to think as this older woman who she was recently trying to kill offered her hand to her. Most delicately, Mellissa took Veronica's hand, gently holding it like a child in need of its mother.

"Captain Girikuson, have a few men check the surrounding area," Garder uttered.

"Eh? Why sir?"

"The last time we met this girl, Vladimir Cents had a specialized camera hidden away. He may have more; check to see if you can find them or any other strange things."

"Sir. Yes sir."

Garder finally put his attention back to Veronica and the girl. "I am putting her in your hands Veronica Q. Morotisan. She will be your responsibility, not only to look after but to make sure she doesn't try anything. As for you…Mellissa. You are not considered a civilian in my eyes nor in the eyes of anybody else. You are closer to that of a prisoner of war, if you attempt anything that we deem threatening, you will die, even if I have to kill you personally. Do you understand?"

"…neh…"

"Did you understand!" Garder spoke out more forcibly.

"…Yes…"

"Good. Did you find anything Captain Girikuson?"

Vorono shook his head. "No sir, nothing was found. Since you have a lead on where Cents is located, what do you want us to do?"

"My group will head out with the girl, you, Lt. Vega and Lt. Bernuda will go back to your original locations and try to secure any other protected areas. If trouble occurs for any of us, we will make contact," Garder said.

"Understood sir," the bulky man replied. Garder knew that his men wouldn't take kindly to having this girl with them but he had trust in his daughter. However, one small thought had crossed his mind, one that didn't involve the girl at all.

"Veronica, what exactly where you doing with Lt. Vega here?"

Veronica actually kept her composure which couldn't be said for Nicholas whose face turned bright red. "I just thought it would be nice to spend some quality time with my fiancé here."

Garder saw no more reason press the question on further. "Very well then, men, return back to your positions, my group will be following…Mellissa…at 14:32 (2:32 PM) tomorrow. Remember what I said, too, girl, do anything at all that deprives us of our mission and you will be put down and not even those things of your will save you. Veronica, in this war I am your commander first and your father second. I do not take kindly to back talk, especially from my other soldiers. Nevertheless as your commander, it is my duty to protect and see that all of my soldiers are given the proper respect and safety measurements. It was wrong of me to keep such important information regarding you a secret."

"…I understand, General Morotisan," Veronica responded with a soft smile.

"On another note, just to keep my other men at ease, I would like you to stay here with the girl."

"Of course sir."

As everyone left, Garder did have one last message to bring Veronica and Nicholas. "I received news that Jessica gave birth to her daughter." The two smiled appreciatively and it was Veronica's face to turn bright red.

"That's amazing, if only we could see her now."

"Indeed. It seems that they both want to raise Elrya Alya in Ishori's home country, Japan, as well. It was apparently a decision on both their parts. Once this war is over, we will help them along their way."

"Sounds good to me. If you ever get in contact with them before me, tell them I said congratulations," Nicholas spoke out. Veronica stated the same thing before Garder finally turned to go, leaving Veronica, Nicholas, and a rather befuddled Mellissa alone in the moonlight. He came up to his fiancé, gently pressing his lips against hers, especially as tonight and a little bit of tomorrow would be the last they would probably see of each until at least a few more months. Even if Mellissa knew the exact location of Vlad's citadel, it would take at least two to three months for them to get there and that was assuming they didn't run into any trouble and they kept up a constant march.

"Why do you do that?" Mellissa asked darkly.

"Do what? Kiss him?" Veronica inquired curiously.

"Yes. That's…wrong. He's a human, why would you…?"

Veronica smiled, once again pressing her lips even more tightly against Nicholas' own before breaking apart and speaking. "Because he is my fiancé and I love him more than anything else in the world. Once this war is over, we're going to be married and hopefully have a family of our very own." Mellissa still wasn't convinced yet. Maybe this other Diclonius, if she could even call her that right now, did love this man, she was determined to find something to criticize about Nicholas.

"Human…you actually like her?"

"Well of course I do, she's intelligent, beautiful, and confident, and everything a man would want and need," Nicholas answered back.

Mellissa stepped forward, Veronica making sure Mellissa didn't try anything funny. Obviously she had something against humans, which for her just seemed strange because she saw herself and Mellissa as humans anyways. Unique yes, but humans nonetheless. But she wasn't prepared for Mellissa to wrap her arms around his neck, pull him down and forcibly kiss him. Unable to say a thing and too shocked to pull back at first, Nicholas was left in a deep state of uncertainty as the girl's mouth passed over his own, even slipping her tongue inside to get a better feel.

"M-Mellissa!" Veronica shouted, half in shock and half in anger. But the girl seemed determined to keep attached to the young man, even rubbing her own body against his own before Veronica had to pull her off by force. Nicholas, breathing heavily, looked at his fiancé with an apologetic look as if to say "She's the one who started it, not me." Mellissa kept her head bowed. At least she understood why the two were kissing. She had to grudgingly admit, it was pretty nice.

* * *

><p>"Master Cents, we have gotten word that Miss Mellissa has been captured by the enemy."<p>

"Oh?" Vladimir murmured at the news. "No kidding? It hasn't even been a day since I rescued her, I told that girl to be a little more discreet. However this works well too, I might able to bring something most interesting to this little story right now. These people, especially that woman and Garder, have proven to be much more unique than I could imagine. It will be fun, to finally break them and show them just how pitiful their dreams really are." He took a long swig of his drink, lightly flicking the glass with his forefinger which a loud and vibrant sound saddened echoed throughout the enlarged room. By the time he was finished, a servant had brought a second drink for him.

"…Dreamers, all of them are merely asleep, trying to fulfill simple ideas, but ideas only happen in the head. You have to have desires to fulfill your dreams after all. Even now, I can smell the smoke from fires burning in Spain, it is so wonderful to behold and these fools valiantly trying to stop me have no idea how far they are. It's people like Garder and that woman that makes this so worthwhile though, an amusing scene as dreamers foolishly walk around. How is the takeover going right now?

"The reports indicate that…twelve countries have been put fully in control of your reign, mostly on the far eastern end of Europe and some of the countries around Spain after Armata Lui Dracul attacked it."

"How quaint indeed, so then Garder F. Morotisan, you have my card, the joker. I've laid down my cards, placed my bets. The pieces are laid out in formation, the plans have been set. So then, let us see what path you take, in this game of ours. Come on now, don't disappoint me, this show has only just begun. I call your bet, now spin the wheel and show me just how worthless your dreams really are. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Took a little longer than expected, but new chapter is done. Mellissa, has, against her own will, been taken by Garder in the hopes that she help them find Vladimir Cents. While still not liking them, it would seem that she has started to at least become a bit friendlier with Veronica, whose kindness has softened her up a bit. That and she knows she'll get her ass kicked if she disobeys. So what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	11. Shattering The Collectiveness

**_Pinpoint Zero_**

**Chapter 11: Shattering the Collectiveness**

As much as she tried to deny that she felt nothing for the woman, Mellissa had fallen asleep on Veronica's shoulder in less than two minutes, even curling up against her for warmth. Veronica felt like a young mother or older sister, to be more precise, as she could only have been about five years older than the pink haired girl. She also had to get the image of her kissing Nicholas out her head, who insisted it wasn't something that he enjoyed though she had a feeling he was holding a little bit back on that part. At her father's demand, she kept herself propped against the tree near the lake away from the others, hearing the soft sound of Mellissa's breathing.

"Ahh…Ahh..." Veronica was stirred from her dozing when she heard Mellissa mumbling in her sleep. She was almost precious the way she dreamed, her little lips moving and unintelligible words flowing out of her mouth. While she couldn't tell what she was dreaming, she did notice that the poor thing had begun to whimper, an obvious sign of a nightmare. Veronica felt torn between the need to comfort her and the need to up hand her across the face, mostly because she tried to kill her. But she looked so timid, her eyes squeezing slightly and her fingers tightening. Veronica swept her fingers inside Mellissa's hair and upon the touch, Mellissa subconsciously moved against Veronica's body.

Vladimir had done this to her, that was clear enough. Her hate, her wounds, like before Veronica felt an illicit fury for the man that went beyond normality. She wasn't sure how to even describe it and that hatred didn't just go to Vladimir, it went to all those who served him as well. Could she even call it hate? A new and stronger word would have to be made to describe the feeling coursing through her veins. Abhorrence? Too light. Detestation? Not nearly good enough. Revulsion? Not even close. What bothered her most was how much it seemed to be taking control of her. Yes. Vladimir's actions would cause her to despise him, but she had always prided herself in being confident and not letting things around her get the better of her.

Why was it so hard to keep herself in control right now? She felt almost powerless because she couldn't understand what was wrong with her. Mellissa was still whimpering, even clutching Veronica's shirt. The twenty year old Diclonius sighed, holding the girl who instantly tightened against her and Veronica, regardless of her voice, began singing a small song that her Aunt Jessica would sing sometimes.

"_Do you see the raindrops spreading over across the ground,_

_Filling it with all the senses of pain and sadness?_

_Do you see the tears trickling down every single cheek,_

_Desperately wanting to fulfill a single joy?_

_Look upon the sky and see with all of your heart_

_A fragment of a melody._

_Look upon the clear green ground and tell me what you see now_

_As the wind blows wide and free."_

Her voice was soft and melodious, a beautiful stream of vocal structure that was like wind in the air. It was a short song, almost like a poem and whenever she heard it, it always calmed her down just a little bit. Luckily for her, it seemed to do the same for Mellissa, who stopped whimpering and laid her gently against her shoulder. Now getting tired herself, Veronica fell asleep as well, her own song drifting through her subconscious.

* * *

><p>"Mother! Mother! Look how well I did!" A young boy, about the age of eleven years old ran happily into the house, holding a piece of school paper with an unseen but apparently high grade that made it a necessity to run into his house and tell his mother who smiled kindly, ruffling his blonde bangs and earning a happy cry from the child.<p>

"That's wonderful Vladimir, you're always making me and your father so proud." Upon being praised by his mother, the child giggled happily, blushing so that his entire face had turned red with gleeful embarrassment.

"I'm always trying to do well in school mother!" He felt glad to be so good in school; it made both him and his parents proud. He wasn't sure what he wanted to be when he grew up, perhaps a scientist or doctor, something that would make his parents have pride in their own son. "Can I help?" he asked simply, seeing his mother cooking a delicious smelling meal and without waiting for an answer, started reaching up.

"No!" Too late, the loud singe of flesh against hot iron and small yelp before Vladimir threw himself back, holding his hand while fresh tears spilled from his eyes. With her mother scolding him, she bent down, looking at the burn on his hand and getting some ointment and bandage to put on it. "You should know better than that Vladimir, you could've have been seriously hurt, you know that right?"

What was once gleeful embarrassment was now a sorrowful one as he bowed his head low, not wanting to hear the wrongs he had done. "I-I'm sorry mother." But as she started to wrap the bandage around, his eyes darted back to the hot iron pot, his hand trembling slightly and he felt the need, the strange need, to touch it again. Oh it had hurt, those tears were real enough but he had felt something else when he touched it. He had liked it, the strange feeling that he would later describe as the ultimate high in his life.

That intense rush through his body, unexpected, he wanted it again but that kind of thinking was terrible. It might have been the shock; he was just thinking too hard and instantly ran to his room to play. Besides, his hand had stopped hurting quite a while ago. Vladimir's room was much different from those of a normal child, though a few toys were sprawled out, the most prominent items were an amazing array of books and some of them were so advanced that somebody would easily wonder how such a child could read it. In truth Vladimir couldn't, but he could read small parts of these advanced books at least and it always gave him interest in doing so. If he was going to become a great person in life and help others, he needed to get a head start after all. With a single leap he landed on his bed, his small body slight sinking into the soft covers as he pulled out one his favorite books.

"_The Grand Scheme"_ A rather advanced mystery novel, though rather tame compared to some of the other books. For the first few minutes, he calmly read without interruption until with one miss turn of the page, his hand throbbed viciously. Quickly bringing it back, Vladimir Cents found himself clutching his wounded appendage and breathing heavily, again the sensation of joy sweeping through his body. "Haa…Haa…Haa…" Each breath came out slowly, and he slowly started to squeeze it. The more it hurt, the more the high in his body reached up. Tighter, and tighter until he felt the ultimate climax, his entire mind and body going into a state of bliss that defeated any joke, hug or praise that could ever happen to him. It was only when he noticed that he had squeezed his hand so hard that he punctured the flesh and the sheets were now dyed with crimson.

"Hnnn!" Frightened beyond belief he quickly jumped off, childishly throwing his pillow on the sheet to get rid of it. His real issue was with himself though; he had nearly mutilated himself and enjoyed every single second of it. What kind of person was he? He wasn't supposed to be enjoying this, not one bit! He felt sick, the taste of vomit rising up his throat and choked, putting his hand up to mouth and rushing to the bathroom. He barely made it in time before retching into the toilet. He had been hurt before, gotten cuts, scrapes and bruises and he had even been burned like before too. Why was it now that he felt such a high when pain and suffering engulfed him? Shaking uncontrollably, he physically started hitting himself in the stomach just to give himself a logical reason to why he had lost himself right now. Was it even possible for someone to lose their lunch and not feel at all sick? He had actually enjoyed it, the sickening taste leaving his mouth, he actually enjoyed it.

This was wrong! This was entirely wrong!

"Oo…" He couldn't let it out again; if he did he'd feel that same joyful bliss that went against everything he knew should be right. Instead he found himself choking, spluttering incoherently and the bliss only came to him there. "Stop it! Stop it! Mother! Mother!"

"What's wrong?" Kindly stepping into the bathroom, Vladimir's mother could only assume that her son ate something bad at school and went to comfort him only now seeing the blood bandaged hand. "Vladimir, what's with your hand?" He couldn't tell her, feeling too sick with himself that he found enjoyment in hurting himself.

"I…I accidently hit the…sink…" he lied.

* * *

><p>For years nothing out of the normal happened, a few cuts here, a few scrapes there but he yet to feel that same bliss before. He also did his best to ignore any wound on him, lest he end up doing what he did that one time ago. Even now it haunted him, threatening to overtake him and for one and just one reason alone. He couldn't once explain it and apparently it wasn't just him either. He remembered going to the hospital one day for something he really didn't know about, too young at the time where they had to do some sort check on head and brain. Something routine, not dangerous and when he had heard that everything was perfectly fine with him, it only scared him more. Oh there was something wrong with him, no sane or logical child would legitimately mutilate themselves like that. He may have been a kid but he certainly wasn't an idiot, in fact he was probably smarter than most of his classmates too.<p>

And then one day, something happened. Vladimir had always been a charismatic boy who had friends and respect from his peers but was not always seen lightly by everyone. On a single day, someone just didn't get along with Cents. It was unknown what had caused it, perhaps the boy was just in a bad mood, all Vladimir knew that he was being pushed against the wall by this strange boy who he never even knew.

"Wh-What!" It was hard to tell if was scared or just plainly confused, even though Vladimir was a bulky boy, he kept himself shrunken in, pulling his shoulders up and whimpering like some sort of scared child watching a horror movie. Such a disgrace was enough to piss of the boy so much that he couldn't help but ram his fist into Cents' face. The single blow had to have broken the nose, he was a strong one and Vlad slumped into a daze, his eye lids fluttering helplessly. That one punch, he could feel the tips of the bones in his nose cracked, blood trickling from the left nostril and his lips. It had hurt.

Hurt so much.

Hurt…so much…

"Again…"

Hurt so much.

"…Hit me…again…."

Felt so good.

"…Again…you…hit me again…"

His words, only a whisper that only he could hear, he finally realized and then fully accepted who he was. He was an insane monster who was abnormal, a freak of nature that should not exist.

"Good morning mother, good morning father."

"Ah your back Vladimir," his broad shouldered yet kindhearted father said, his mother also offering her welcome to him. They had instantly noticed the high disposition of their son and could only assume something great had happened. "You're in a good mood, what happened?" his father asked in a cool and deep throated voice.

"You won't believe what happened today…"

"Oh! Scholarship?" his mother inquired, Vladimir was now at the age where he would start looking into college and university. With his grades and intelligence, both of his parents were confident that he would find a good place of study. Chuckling, Vladimir shook his head almost sadly.

"Sorry mother, that wasn't it. You see, colleges, universities, employment, families it just…doesn't hold up for me anymore. Mother…father…" With looks of confusion on their faces, Vladimir's parents watched as their son started heading to the drawers, pulling out a long thick steak knife and suddenly plunging it into his left arm. The screams of his mother and outcry of his father did little to stop him.

"Vladimir! What are you…!" Rushing to stop her son from mutilating himself even further, perhaps even in the end she didn't understand or perhaps refused to believe that the knife had sliced through her throat, splattering the floor red. She died quickly and pointlessly, not even a second to react it might looked natural. Eyeing his dead mother, no time to even grasp the slit upon her neck, Vladimir Cents smiled serenely down at her.

"That felt…wonderful…" he whispered softly.

His father…only barely put up a fight in the end.

"Heh…Heheheh…" He had done it, he had hurt and killed and the feeling of joyousness was beyond his comprehension. Grasping his face, he continued chuckle softly into it, feeling something warm sweep through his fingers. Was it blood, the smell was all over him so he wasn't surprised about that, but were those tears streaming down his eyes. He was crying, even after murdering his parents for the pure enjoyment out of it, he still had the nerve to cry over them. "Ha…Haha…KYA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" He was completely lost, he was a freak, a monster beyond redemption, no soul, and no doubts of evil in his mind. He could even explain it, his life seemingly normal but now, things like normality only existed in the realm of reality. He was somewhere else, an alien to this thing called "logic."

"HOW QUAINT!" He loved it, this feeling of deplorability, this feeling of madness, this feeling of…

This feeling of absolute suffering. He loved to feel and cause suffering. He loved to rip the lives of others around him. "How quaint…how quaint…how quaint…." He repeated it again and again, laughing joyfully yet sorrowfully, loving every bit of action that caused others to suffer including himself. He took the knife, plunging it into his shoulders and even into the back of his neck, laughing still like a madman seeking redemption. "How quaint…how quaint…how quaint…" Mutilation, disgusting, tormenting himself, how could such a freak like him not have any sort of problems with his mind?

"Ha…Hahaha…Hahahahaha…" His voice cracking from laughing and the inability to suppress his chaotic nature anymore, the blonde haired man found himself in a chair, still giggling inside of his hand. If there was no problem with him, if his mind really was just as…sane…as everyone else…then seeking help would never work. He didn't distrust the doctors, it's not like they were lying to him after all.

Right there…then and there…with blood soaking his body, a smile of joy on his face and tears of sorrow streaming down his cheeks, the greatest desire of The Incorrigible Vladimir Cents manifested.

* * *

><p>Alone on his throne, Vladimir Cents woke up to a stream of bright moonlight shining on his body from the singular window that stood high upon the walls of the vast room. Moaning softly, he lifted his hand up to his face, blood sipping down as if something had squeezed it so tightly it had punctured the flesh.<p>

"Ah…how quaint…" he whispered between his smirking teeth, lapping the blood up. "A dream…such a silly little thing, I thought I was beyond such mess. It was quite interesting; I almost forgot what my parents looked like.

"Dreaming…I dream…how quaint.

"How…ridiculously quaint…"

* * *

><p>"Number Zero…"<p>

That voice, it was the director who ran this facility. The male Diclonius slowly lifted his head, looking at the door and through the slit he could see the tray of food slipping inside. It wasn't anything spectacular, the usual gruel that he had all the time, every time. Still this was the first time that the director had personally come to put his food in (as far as he had known) and definitely the first time the director had come to speak to him directly in his cell.

"…What?" Though he wanted to sound vicious, he only came out sounding uninterested.

"Do you…remember your family?"

This definitely took him by surprise but he answered just as simply as before. "I do not…remember my mother or father. I was orphaned a long time ago, I don't even care anymore."

"You don't, I thought maybe you would miss them."

The boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How can I miss something I barely remember? Why would you care anyways?"

No answer.

That was as far as the conversation went…Riku stepped away and strolled down the hallway, stopping a group of guards and scientists along the way. "Number Zero…should rest today. We'll have the experimentations done next week.

During the night, Number Zero was startled by the loud opening and closing of the door, groggily he stood up, wondering what was going on. Perhaps something had happened to the facility, an escape, and the guards had entered the room but instead of bodies, his eyes only found something strange on the floor. The light streaming through the open crevice of the door gave him just enough light to see the object that he picked up. He didn't have a clue what to think about the wide brimmed brown hat and casually threw it aside, thinking that some idiot decided to use his cell as a trash heap.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Finally got the chapter finished. A little bit on Vlad's history because even psychotic killers need a back history. I can't say when the next chapter will come out though I hope to get it out faster than this one, no promises though. So what will happen on the next chapter of "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	12. Tears That Cry For Support

**_Pinpoint Zero_**

**Chapter 12: Tears That Cry For Support**

Mellissa stood anxiously against Veronica's side, the only person she felt comfortable with and even that seemed to contradict something, notably the whole trying to kill her thing. The rest of them however, many of them who had their guns raised towards her, could all go and rot in a ditch, especially that old bastard general who had finally came forward to speak.

"So girl, you will…"

"My name isn't girl…" She had to interrupt him, it was a pathetic excuse but she just needed to feel in charge if only for a second. Garder, perhaps knowing this, did not try to instigate the argument any further. He had no time to mess around with some 15 year old girl with some mentality problem against humanity. Besides she was the only person who had even a clue of where Vladimir Cents was located. Even if it irked him, he would have to get used to her mouth.

"…Mellissa, you will lead us to Vladimir Cents. Once you do, I will once again see that your punishment is lightened."

"I don't know where it is exactly, I'm not good with places," the girl replied back darkly. Garder expected as much, but the closer they got the better.

"That's fine, you will lead us as far as you can, however until Vladimir Cents is killed, you will remain with us. Remember, you are a prisoner of war right now, if you do anything that impedes us, and then you will be killed on the spot." Veronica squeezed the girl's shoulder comfort, but her own face stated that Mellissa needed to listen carefully to his words.

"Very well then human, lead as far as you can." Garder's choice word caught Mellissa off guard and she wasn't sure if he was mocking her or not.

"I'm not a human, not like you, I'm a…" But Garder stopped her in her tracks.

"I know what you call yourself, Diclonius. You share the same traits as my own daughter Veronica, yet at no point have I referred to her as a Diclonius, besides its best you get used to it. I don't understand your illicit hatred for us, but I highly suggest you get it out of your head. I will say this one more time, girl, if you do anything that impedes us, and then I personally will kill you..."

He raised his hand, his elderly but strong fingers gripping the air while the bones cracked menacingly. "…And believe me when I say that no amount of your powers will be worth a damn against me."

She stifled a laugh, something that didn't go past Garder's keen ears while she thought arrogantly, "Stupid human thinks he can take me on by himself." With nothing else to say, Mellissa, close by Veronica, walked away with the group of soldiers following a good distance behind her.

"How do I know you won't lie to me?" After half an hour of walking, a single question had come up in the young Diclonius' head. If Vladimir, who had promised her freedom, was just lying to her, then what made this other man any different from him? "How do I know you won't betray me like you say other man will?"

Garder's answer was ready in a heartbeat. "It is impossible to make you believe me, no matter how much I may insist that I'm telling the truth. However you have no choice but to follow my orders, lest you wish to die here and now. We were sent here for the primary reason of finding and killing Vladimir Cents and you just happened to be the one person who may know his location. The only thing that I can do is insist that you believe me, it is up to you whether you wish to accept it or not."

She hardly seemed relieved until Veronica said softly, "My father may be a very strict man, but he's always honest with what he says."

* * *

><p>Lt. Caston was a likable fellow amongst his peers and in these times, his comedic attitude was well liked especially for those who were feeling down. Down in the southern area of Europe, Caston had called his group down to large plateau that dropped half a mile down into a crevice and ordered that food and water be given out.<p>

"You know, something like a car would be great…" He had to laugh at the remark; that kind of transportation would be easier instead of walking. But it was impossible for such things. Firstly there weren't enough military vehicles in the South American Military Force to deliver the 20,000 soldiers to their specific areas, not without making an agonizingly number of trips. Besides, a good number of vehicles had actually been sent to the seaboard area where they were needed much more. In terms of a small group of maybe a hundred or even a thousand, the vehicles would be a great necessity but for the specialized tactics group that Garder lead, it would honestly do more harm than good.

Still, just to sit down and have the wind blow in your face beat the hell out of walking miles for months. It wasn't as if supplies were down, along with receiving stuff from designated locations in Europe, they were constantly provided food, water and equipment from the South American Military Force.

As usual Caston had to lead thousands of soldiers, which of course meant that not only did many of them not come to the plateau that they were at, but many were in separate locations and had to be led the by specialized radio that they all had on their ears.

"Listen up! Finish your meals and get your legs working again. About twenty-five miles west of here is a moderate sized town under siege. Reports tell us that there are at least nine hostile forces over there but of course unless someone tells us before hand, we won't know who exactly they are. This also means that just because that are nine over there, doesn't mean more won't be there. First things first and I'll be repeating this when we get closer to our destination.

"…Firstly, I want a group of 600 soldiers standing at every exit of the city, allow for the passage of citizens but be careful, I don't want the enemy getting out as well." There was a quick chorus of "aye!" With nothing else needed to be said until they got there, Caston knew it would be best if they started their journey now. At an average walking speed of four miles per hour (and that was a person who wasn't carrying a lot of equipment like they were) it would take at least six hours of non-stop walking before they actually got there. Of course there was no way they'd walk for that long, Caston himself wouldn't let them. He expected it could take eight to maybe even ten hours, and that was hoping that nothing got in their way either. Looking upon the skies and seeing the billowing grey clouds roll from the horizon, he mentally told himself to give his men the extra push they needed.

"…It's going to be a long day…" one man moaned.

"Hey listen you, I don't have time to hear your whiny…" Caston began before a boom of thunder hit and the hard rain fell.

"…Yeah your right, today's going to suck…" Caston moaned.

* * *

><p>Although she was adept enough in the culture and language, Jessica still found it difficult to get used to the bustling island country of Japan. It was a beautiful place with much to offer whether in history, culture or just entertainment, but for a woman who had for most of her life lived in a simple rural area, the sudden change to a more suburban location along with the baby, had sometimes taken its toll on her. Luckily though, her husband Ishori was usually laid back did his part by taking care of Elrya, being more useful than ever before. She of course didn't mean that in a bad way, but a small part of her actually hoped Elrya would never grow up; it wasn't often that she was the one who could relax on the couch and let her husband do the cooking, cleaning, and child caring.<p>

But today, Ishori was out getting groceries and her sweet baby Elrya Alya was inside her cradle, sleeping. Stepping inside to check in on her, Jessica couldn't have felt any prouder right now. Elrya was on her little belly, small blanket covering her and held tightly against her body, a small, stuffed panda that had been her first gift upon arriving to Japan. She was so adorable, tiny frame snuggled inside her crib and a tiny bit of drool hanging on her lips. Bringing out a small napkin, Jessica gently wiped it off, causing her baby to stir but not wake up.

Being in Japan she and Ishori of course spoke to Elrya in Japanese but that didn't mean Jessica wouldn't fit in a few Spanish phrases here and there. Most importantly, she always sang Elrya's favorite song in her native language. She liked to think of it as her song because indeed she was the one who made it up. She made up the lyrics, and put her own musical taste to it and now that song would be her dear child's own.

"Ah no, I need to get supplies." Chiding herself over minor details in her life, Jessica went to the phone to call Ishori and tell him she would be leaving for an hour or so. Then she went back to wake up Elrya, obviously not able to leave her child alone in the house. The baby was hardly pleased at being woken up and cried instantly until her mother held her. "It's alright my little Elrya; we're just going out for a little bit." Still holding onto her stuffed panda, Elrya was taken with her mother.

A bright and relatively new world greeted the horned girl, though said horns were actually being covered by a small cap. Sitting in the seat of the cart, her curious red eyes circled around the room, tiny mouth parted slightly in curiosity. Luckily she was well situated in the seat; otherwise her tiny hands would've knocked everything down. Her stuffed panda lay against her chest, her favorite toy of all. But as her mother was looking for certain items, another cart stopped by, a child of perhaps a year or so old staring with cute curiosity at Elrya.

For a few seconds, they just starred as if they had never seen another person in their life until the other child finally found great interest in the panda sitting against Elrya. Although only a child who wasn't even a year old, Elrya was already feeling that sensation of jealously with this other girl and gripped her toy tightly. This was her toy, her toy and her toy alone, nobody else was going to have, especially not this other kid. She may not know how to speak, she may not know how to write, and she couldn't even walk a single step. Yet somehow she knew almost instantly that objection that parents always wished their children would overcome.

This was mine.

Though she hardly knew it herself, Elrya's frown, though cute to adults, was causing great angst to the other child who began to sniff pitifully while reaching out. Not even a year old and Elrya had the sense of mind to actually lift her toy up and though hesitantly, give it to the other girl whose eyes widened considerably. Almost instantly Elrya wanted to scream and get it back, it was her toy after all but as she saw the other child snuggling it closely to her face, she felt a sweet sense of happiness in her. Unable to comprehend things like sharing or joy, she just knew that doing…whatever it was she did, made the other girl very happy and seeing the happy whispers from her, Elrya was also happy. As her mother pushed the cart along, Elrya tried to get one last glimpse before the child and her toy vanished from her sights.

The other woman finished gathering her items and returned back to her cart, startled when she saw her baby holding the stuffed panda with a gleeful expression on her face.

"Oh? Where did you get that Miriana?"

Miriana only held the toy more jovially.

* * *

><p>Only Vladimir would enjoy standing out in the cold rain while the thunder clapped loudly above his head, the lightning flash almost dangerously close around him. His thick golden hair hung in wet streams around his shoulders and his red eyes had a particularly menacing sheen even for himself. Opening his mouth, he could taste the air around him, taste that fresh scent of gore and war that he opened upon himself. Mellissa had gone to the other side, not expected, but it did allow for some fun with Garder and his apparent daughter. The young woman apparently didn't know just how dangerous she was, so why not use that to his advantage? Tsk, it wasn't an advantage, even if one did call it that, this was nothing more than a gleeful way to get off. The greatest human pleasures were nothing to sheer want of suffering that filled every vein in his body. He had long ago accepted his life, his pitiful nature, but he had to make this world of his own.<p>

Because if he did, even though he would never be able to understand how he became like this, he could at least live in a world where his actions were accepted. His eyes reached up into the sky, noticing a small object soaring overhead. He could tell it was a military jet, perhaps gone to deliver more supplies to the ally troops. Great, those poor bastards needed to have some help; it wouldn't be any fun if they all dropped dead too easily.

He slipped one of his many silver coins inside of his mouth, rolling it around on his tongue before it slipped between his teeth. They were all dying, his men were dying and yet those idiots didn't know just how easily outclassed they were. As fun as this battle was, it was almost getting boring and he had to resist the urge to just see Armata Lui Dracul out to kill them all. Besides, how could he do that when there were such interesting people like Garder and Veronica?

"Master Cents!"

Curiously turning around, Vladimir gazed upon a burly man who looked to be from the Mediterranean, holding what could only be described as a simple but slightly ornate pistol with a very unique slide and trigger. "Oh ho, is this what I think it is?" Cents asked mischievously, hearing the gun click and pointing it nonchalantly into the air. Uncaring that he was getting soaked, the burly man replied with proper respect.

"Aye Master Cents, just as you insisted, a pistol capable of inserting a microfilament thread into the mind of an enemy."

The dark smirk broadened. "How quaint, this is a most interesting toy, and I assume it also does a lot more right?"

"…Yes sir…"

* * *

><p>Sweat pouring from his face, Vorono gave his own short yet proper respects to the 68 men who had been killed during the attack. Unexpectedly, they were ambushed at large mountainous area, their enemies low in numbers but the surprise too much for them to handle. The sad part about it, this wasn't new, but it felt so pointless to the Captain, whose thoughts were unanimously shared by the rest of his men. "What's up Cents, are you so mad that you have to make this war and kill thousands of people daily for the heck of it? Bah, forget it, trying to understand that man is impossible. Huh?" The minute radio buzzed on his ears, he expected Garder, he instead got an unknown voice that spoke rapidly in Spanish to him.<p>

"This is the South American General Supply Line, I am relaying this message to the group below. State your name, rank and objection."

Clearing his throat, Vorono said firmly, "I am Vorono Girikuson, Captain of the specialized South American military force lead by General Garder F. Morotisan. We were in a fight and have a few injured men. If you have any medical supplies we need them now."

"Roger, I'm heading down now, keep steady."

The jet landed, sliding roughly across the rugged terrain while Vorono left by himself to greet the man. The pilot stepped outside, opening the doors and taking out two heavy boxes that Vorono took, noticing that even with his strength, they were indeed quite heavy. It was no wonder the pilot looked he was straining to lift them out. Opening them up, he saw to his delight a good amount of medical equipment including ones for major surgeries though luckily none of the injured had suffered that badly, it was still good to have. There were also a few rations and water as well, after such a long day, this was like gift from the gods. But the important item was not in the boxes but in the hand of the pilot who gave what could only appear to be two small tubes filled with a clear liquid to Vorono.

"What's this?"

"Hold on one moment Captain," the pilot murmured, reaching inside his pockets and pulling out a single piece of paper but the text written on quite small. Vorono could see the signature at the bottom from the main headquarters. He slowly read the sheet.

**To Vorono Girikuson, Captain of the Specialized South American Military Force under General Garder F. Morotisan. We have given here two specialized serums created by the scientists in Brazil. The first serum #1, is a special mixture that will grant the user an abnormal increase in strength, capable of lifting tons with ease. The second serum #2 is a special mixture that will offer the user an increase of endurance, capable of withstanding even the most powerful of bullets and more.**

**These two serums were tested in the laboratories many times; there were no signs of negative outcomes from the use of these drugs. However there is a severe limit in time for the use of these two drugs. Once administered, each drug will remain in the bloodstream for a total of 10 minutes tops, after which the effect will wear off. Usage of both drugs simultaneously has not shown any negative effects but the time is drastically shortened if one uses both. Therefore, it is wiser to use them separately. Under Main Jurisdiction, we are allowing "Captain Vorono Girikuson" to use these items as he sees fit.**

Vorono read it twice to make sure he got all the details, lightly folded the paper and put it into his pockets before looking at the two serum holding tubes. He couldn't help but give a light chuckle at these turn of events. "Well I have to admit, it's not like it's the strangest thing I've seen or heard." Compared to random invisible hands this was positively logical.

"I need to get going Captain, good luck and keep on fighting." Vorono nodded his leave as well, carefully putting the two tubes away before taking the two boxes of supplies back to his troops. Almost instantly, the image of the two serums appeared in his head along with the strangeness of Veronica's abilities. He could help but sigh deeply and think to himself_, I don't know what's more remarkable, Veronica's strange ability or the advances in technology. The fact that Headquarters has given me this is only proof of how dangerous and long this war is becoming, we can't allow it to go on any longer._

* * *

><p>"This is Garder F. Morotisan, General of the Specialized South American Military Force," Garder answered the pilot on his radio strictly, gazing up at the jet as it soared down to land. Though none of the soldiers were surprised, in fact new supplies were something they were quite happy to see, the same could not be said for Mellissa who despite herself, starred with curiosity and slight wonder. "Veronica, go see him, I will remain here unless I am needed."<p>

"Of course sir," she answered properly, nodding once before lightly rubbing Mellissa's shoulder. She was the only one Mellissa could apparently get along with and though he hadn't said anything, Veronica had a feeling her father wanted her to go so that he could keep a more proper eye on the girl. She couldn't blame him really, especially with everything that was going on with Mellissa, though she did find the girl to be fun and almost like a younger sister, she was still a prisoner of war who had murdered members of her father's team. Her devotion to her father and her team would always outweigh her concern for Mellissa.

"Is General Morotisan there?"

"He is, he sent me out to collect whatever you have to give," Veronica replied softly to the pilot, noticing his slightly red face. Proper etiquette told her to keep a straight face but she smiled gently. She was never one to be arrogant or self-observed, but she did know that she was not exactly on the ugly side. But even the pilot wasn't about to lose his focus for long and brought out three extremely heavy cases. "Damn these things are heavy, you better get some help with these."

This time she really did smile and laugh, waving her hand absentmindedly. "Nah, it's fine sir, I can handle it." He of course gave her a fleeting look then gave her a small tube with a dark liquid inside and a sheet of paper just as he had done with Captain Girikuson. She took it carefully, eyeing the concoction and having her own question answered before she could speak a word. "Give that directly to General Morotisan, it's something apparently very important that has been issued by Headquarters. Tell the General that I've given something similar to Captain Girikuson so if he wants to know anything, contact him. I have to go now; I'm delivering the rest of the supplies."

"Understood, we owe you a lot," Veronica muttered.

"Oh…and in case I don't see him, tell Nicholas that I said hello."

She smiled happily and nodded, watching the jet fly off before heading towards the boxes. Now she truly wanted to see something, first she checked to see how well she could lift a single one up using her natural arms. Needless to say the pilot had been right, she could barely lift a single box up a few inches. "Well then, let's try this…" She brought one hand out, letting it slither across the ground like a serpent then gripping the handles tightly. Only two people were aware of what Veronica was doing right now. First was Mellissa, who being a Diclonius herself could actually see the transparent hand and Garder, whose keen ears picked up the unique vibrations. Before he could utter a word of articulation, Veronica lifted the box up as if were as light as a feather.

Wow, I never knew I could lift things this heavy, she thought. She slipped another vector out grabbed the second box just as easily as before and did the same thing with the third. These items, which she could barely lift with her normal hands, were so easy to pick up with her strange appendages. It wasn't just easy either, it was beyond simple. Had it not been hard to grip, she could've easily taken all three of the boxes with a single hand, maybe even a single finger. Was there a limit to their strength, true they always felt stronger than her normal hands but even she didn't realize they had the capability to be this amazing powerful. Tearing a person apart, like her father had said, now looked frighteningly true.

"I'm back, General Morotisan I have…" Veronica stopped, catching the eyes of her fellow men who looked like they had seen a ghost. Close enough, she apparently realized her mistake but dropping the midair floating boxes was too late. The look on her father's face wasn't exactly disappointing, but it was clear that he expected Veronica to be more careful. It wasn't like she had done anything wrong, but the young woman suddenly understood her mistake.

"She's just like her…" One man whispered frightfully.

"Did you see that? They were…floating?"

"What if she…tries to…"

Veronica laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head and doing her best to lighten the mood. Yet she could tell that an aura of fear and permeated the area and she could almost see the fingers itching for the guns. "H-hey now, what's up?" Something was terribly wrong right now, these soldiers, many of whom she had known since she was a child, were attempting to pull out their guns on her. Some of them actually did in fact, a strong pain hit her heart when she found old friends pointing their shaking weapons at her. Mellissa hissed under her breath, taking a step towards the young woman but her antics were ignored by Veronica. She was too busy trying to comprehend why guns were being pointed at her.

Yes her powers were strange and abnormal but she had known some of these men for so long.

"Lower your weapons…" Garder's thick voice loudly echoed and the weapons were slowly dropped. "Veronica, take the girl and head over there…" He pointed to a general location away from the rest of the men. "I will talk to you in a moment, leave the supplies here." There was no anger in his voice, but there was a sense of angst and it honestly scared Veronica more than anything else. For one of the first times, her father, a man who she had always known to be confident and powerful, seemed overwhelmingly worried.

"Why did you take that?" Mellissa asked angrily. "I would have killed those bastards immediately."

"I couldn't they're…" But Veronica couldn't even finish her own statement. What friends or comrades pointed their own weapons at another friend or comrade? She didn't want to hate them, she actually wanted to understand their strife but to have people she had known her whole life, and with the intent to murder her, how could she not feel just a bit of spite for them. How could she not feel, just an inkling of an urge…to kill them too?

She stopped, shaking her head rapidly. Why do I feel like this? She thought heavily, trying to get rid of such thoughts. They were just scared, she needed to try to understand their plight and look at things rationally. Why now did these thoughts of hate come to her now?

"_Perhaps because they don't understand you…"_

Yes, perhaps that was the case, how dare they try to threaten her. What about all the things she'd done for them? She'd gone into the front lines, killed and saved them, so how dare they try to kill her.

"_Perhaps they need to be taught a lesson…"_

A lesson huh? That did sound good, show those idiots who was in charge, and show them what needed to be done.

"_So then…why don't you kill them…?"_

"Veronica?"

"WHAT!" Without thinking, she turned around and screamed in exclamation before realizing it was her father who had spoken to her. "Ah…I'm sorry father, I don't know what came over me." She quickly apologized, noticing two packages in his hands, one moderately sized and the other just big enough to fit in his hand. Without saying a word he brought the smaller package to Mellissa who for the most part, looked at him as if he showed her a dead rat. "What's that?" She asked darkly.

"It's food, eat." Garder answered back roughly. The Diclonius turned her head, snorting in response.

"I don't need your sympathy."

"Nor did I ask of it. However though you may be a prisoner of war, you are still a part of the group and considering you are the one who is leading us to Vladimir Cents, it is only wise that you at least get a small serving to keep up your energy. This is not an act of kindness girl, this is just the logic. This is also not a choice either, you are going to eat, or will personally shove the food down your throat."

Mellissa wanted to retort back, even though she was indeed hungry and probably would've eaten something rotten just to fill her stomach, his tone with her could not be ignored. But it was not her who spoke back. "Father, she's just nervous, give her a break." Garder didn't have to have great hearing to notice the foul tone in his daughter's voice. Catching her eyes, it was the first time she had ever looked at him like that. The first time he could see something beyond the ruby shine of her eyes. Something that seemed to be dark, twisted and obscene. Sighing to himself, he spoke in the same strict, yet also kinder voice to Mellissa.

"Just eat, it's been awhile since we last had food after all, I know you are hungry. It will best though if you save part of the rations for later, especially the water, I do not know when the next line of supplies will arrive."

"Father, I have something for you also." Taking out the phial and paper, Veronica handed them over to her father her carefully read the paper and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

**To Garder Ferajhan Morotisan, General of the Specialized South American Military Force. This is a specialized serum created through the government that upon use will allow a vast increase in bodily senses. The effect is triggered by a constriction of the muscles and lasts until after 20 minutes or when the user suppresses their muscles to relax.**

**Warning, usage of drug has not shown any life threatening attributes, however details in line of eyesight have been recorded to dwindle. Use with care.**

He gripped the vial, the strange concoction swirling almost innocently within, holding the power to destroy entire battalions. The usage of it would be required, he could tell with certainty and until then, he would keep it safely tucked away until that time came. Twice, he had been given something that could easily manhandle an entire military force. This one though was something he was far more likely to use, at least one where he didn't have to fear repercussions.

The second of course was "Pinpoint Lifeline". Even to this day the trump card laid within his own hands. With but a single order, he could annihilate the vast majority of Cents men and maybe even Cents himself in the span of a few months at tops. He would also end the lives of thousands of innocents to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocents. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Mellissa had reluctantly opened the packaged and was now poking the military based food with a look of revulsion on her face. It might have been more along the lines of surprise though, because even if military food wasn't top grade, it still had to beat the muck she ate while in the dungeons.

"Eat it girl, if anything you'll get your strength and stamina up."

"Father, can you tell your men to stop…being so paranoid with me," Veronica asked in a shaky voice. Her father looked at her, seeing her face wanting and oddly twisted as if she was feeling depressed somehow.

"I will speak to them, although you will have to make a point to get their trust as well. For years I have kept your ability a secret because honestly even I do not understand it at all. They have already seen things beyond their scope of understanding; it may take time for them to gain your trust."

She gave him a sour look. "Just…tell them to back off or something. Don't act like you didn't see it, some of them actually held guns up to me."

"Veronica, you need to try and understand."

Something in her snap, uncaring that it was her own father, Veronica burst out into a frenzy of words that made Mellissa jump. "YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND!" She didn't know why and right then, she didn't care one bit. "EVER SINCE I WENT IN THIS WAR, EVERYONE HAS BEEN LOOKING DOWN ON ME OR GOING AGAINST ME!"

"Veronica…calm down."

"Don't you tell me to calm down you bastard!" She was livid, hate caressing her, her heart burning with disgusting fury at her father and the world around her. "I was doing just fine with my own group, as their Lieutenant, nobody said a damn thing against me. Then you come up and take me out because you couldn't fix our own goddamn problems! I didn't have to join this war you know, nothing ever forced me to, and I joined it because I thought that if I did, I could make you proud. If I could lead my own team, you'd be able to look at me with pride. Instead you cast me aside like some sort of circus freak, away from my team and with those bastards who I thought were my friends!"

"Veronica…" Garder began before being cut again shortly by his daughter.

"DON'T VERONICA ME! I'm not a child anymore Garder, I'm a grown woman who is supposed to be getting married soon. I've done so much for you, out of my own good heart and what have you done? Ever since mother died, I've always looked up to you as a role model, someone that I could always go to for help. I guess that's not the case anymore huh Garder F. Morotisan, I can't seem to trust anybody but Nicholas and this girl. Hell she's been a better person to me than my own fucking comrades!"

Mellissa didn't know what was going on, only that Veronica was seriously angry. She wanted to offer some support, tell to calm down herself but she felt trapped between the father and daughter argument.

"Veronica, what do you want me to do then?" Although he asked it plainly, without any sign of disrespect or impatience, the young woman could see it as nothing more than provocation. She articulated one statement that echoed into the sky.

"ALL OF YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" And the ground shattered beneath her feet, a small quote as rocks and ground split open, spreading quickly while Garder stepped urgently back. Away from them, the surprised gasps from their team filled Veronica's already twisted mind.

She could hear them.

"Look at her, what the hell is she?"

"A freak!"

Those words, spoken by people she had once thought of as friends, how could she not harbor intense rage at them?

"Veronica…" She didn't want to hear anything he had to tell her, she didn't want to hear his scolding at this moment. She didn't have time to hear him speak in that strict voice, on how she was wrong or how she needed to calm down. They need to calm down, it wasn't like she had gone up and threatened any of them. The only thing she wanted to do was win this war and once Cents was killed, get married to Nicholas and start a family. However Garder did not come to chide her, instead before she knew it, his arms had already wrapped around her in a father embraced. For a man whose entire life was of military force, could he still now be so gentle with her.

She was no longer an adult woman, she was a just a girl, crying and holding onto her father for support as Mellissa watched. She needed this more than ever, only now did she feel the force of her hatred and how out of control it had gotten. She needed his warmth, his protection, his understanding more than ever. "…F-Father…" she whimpered, like a lost child, alone and cold, she held onto him.

"Veronica, I may be a very strict person and I always try to do things that I feel will best fit the interest of everyone. But you are still my daughter and I will always love you no matter what." She had to hear those words, those words of absolute care for her from the person she admired most of all. Despite his stern outlook, he could say the words she needed so badly as he held her within his muscular grip. She cried in his chest, her fresh tears spilled out onto him and her fingers gripped his military uniform.

"...Father…I might be pregnant…"

Out of all the things she could have softly whispered, this might have been the last anyone was expecting. There was no shock on her father's face or in his voice, he only answered in a voice that she could recognize as being kind hearted. "I assumed so, I had a feeling that's what happened with you and Nicholas before Mellissa came." He would at this point scold her for doing something so foolish. She was in a war; she should have had the patience to wait. He would definitely be scolding Nicholas when and if the time came. Veronica might say she was pregnant but not nearly enough time had passed to be absolutely sure. Still, he had a feeling she was right. Though barely noticeable, Garder could see that her belly had grown a few centimeters.

"What am I going to do father?"

"If you are pregnant, then I will send you to a hospital wing and I will also allow Nicholas to come too. However after the birth, Nicholas will be sent directly out and once you recover, you will do the same. Your baby will remain the care of the hospital wing until you two are released from duty," Garder answered.

She nodded, understanding completely.

"Why do you cry against him?" Being silent for so long, Mellissa's voice was a bit of a surprise for the two to hear. Sniffing softly, Veronica wished she didn't look so pathetic in front of Mellissa and choked an answer.

"Because he's my father and I love him," Veronica replied back, giving a small smile at her. The youngest Diclonius stared at Garder for a long time, wondering if she had ever been loved by her own father like that. Her ill will to humans was not completely erased, but for her to see a human being so kind to another Diclonius, she too felt the need for warmth.

"…Can you…hold me too?"

She felt like she was betraying herself but now, she just wanted to feel something caress her also. Garder, unsure but not unsteady, stepped forward to the girl with his expression unchanging. Back and forth Mellissa stepped until with a grunt she hurled herself at Garder and pushed her light frame against him. She expected shock, pain, humiliation, something from being near this human, but like the time she had kissed Nicholas, she felt the overwhelming sensation of warmth. Garder didn't hold Mellissa with the same care as he did with Veronica, but one arm did wrap around and hold Mellissa against his chest as the child breathed in. The smell, the taste, it was all new to her so unlike Veronica, she couldn't get into the sense of it. But she could feel the compassion, and understood why Veronica cared so much for these humans.

Breaking away, Mellissa suddenly felt embarrassed. "It's n-not like I w-was enjoying that or anything h-human!" Veronica giggled but Garder's next answer was clear enough that it was time to get back to business.

"Veronica, return to the others, if they decide to start trouble, ignore them and then move to a secluded location. I will talk to them as well. Mellissa, you will continue showing us the way to Vladimir Cents as much as you can."

"Aye, yes sir!" Veronica stated confidently.

Mellissa, with a careless attempt to match, spoke in a quivering voice. "A-Aye."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: FINALLY! This chapter took far took my longer than I expected but I hope it was well worth the wait. As of now I can't say when the next update will be, especially as University Exams are now coming up. However I will get the next chapter done at some point.<p>

Please R&R


	13. Lost Courage

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 13: Lost Courage**

"All of you listen up carefully." Garder spoke with an air of calm ferocity, his voice the same as it always was when addressing others but his tone held little compassion in it. That voice, which would usually make Veronica cringe, instead made her heart lift up just a bit. He was clearly taking what she asked for seriously and though she was an adult, she had the childish need to just hear her father scold his men. "Veronica is your comrade, no matter how she looks, no matter what she may do, she will be your comrade and I expect you to give her the same respect that you do for me."

"But sir, look at her, look what she did!" A cry of retaliation made Veronica want to smack him, hard, perhaps too hard, he'd deserve it anyways.

"What do you want me to tell you? I do not know why or how Veronica is capable of doing these things." Garder, while speaking, was quickly cut off by an eccentric answer from Mellissa. "It's because she's a Diclonius…oh…sorry." She stopped, covering her mouth when Garder gave her a firm glare. Her sudden outburst was enough to get everyone else riled up. "You heard her, they aren't even human, and they're just some…abomination!"

"What's the deal then, before Veronica showed her powers, all of you didn't have an issue with her."

The first one who had yelled out instantly went on the offensive. "That's because we didn't know that she or that brat, which by the way, nice job hugging her, could kill us without us even knowing it! It might have passed you sir, but not all of us our friendly with your daughter. We all know that you give her special care, if you were in our shoes you'd have shot her in the head long ago!" Garder took the statement surprisingly well, or at least he was able to hold his composure which couldn't be said for his daughter. Infuriated, Veronica was on the verge of lunging at them before Garder's hand stopped her. "Veronica, if you cannot calm yourself down then I will ask you to leave and head somewhere where you can cool off." She wanted to attack, desperately punch and claw at these bastards who would dare once call themselves her friends but nodded. Her father had already expressed his undying love for her; she wasn't going to let that compliment pass by.

"Face it sir, your daughter's a monster, maybe she wasn't before, but you already saw what that other bitch did to our friends…" It was taking a lot for Veronica to settle down, she had actually taken several steps back, breathing in and out, desperately trying to compose herself. Oh that's right, that guy was their friend, but she, who didn't do a damn thing, was suddenly ostracized just because she was different. Yes, unfortunately for Mellissa, she had killed, though Veronica believed that the young girl was trying to go on a different path, the blood of the other soldiers was still on her fingers.

The general closed his eyes, his head going into a deep thought. "Very well then, who here will refuse to fight alongside Veronica?" A ruffing of boots and five people including the one that had been arguing with Garder stepped aside. The others who had stayed either were intelligent enough not to let their personal feelings get in the way, or legitimately had nothing against Veronica though for 20 year old horned woman, even if only a few people were hating her, it felt like everyone was against her.

"I don't mind fighting alongside you General Morotisan, but I won't fight alongside two monsters which you seem to be getting along with quite well."

Garder said nothing for a while, perhaps hoping the five would get their act together. "Very well then, I will not force you to stay with my group. You can either be dishonorably discharged and leave, or you can head to one of the other groups, your choice. What do you think you five are doing?" Taking up his second off, the five had started to pick up provisions when Garder's voice stopped them in their tracks. "Those provisions belong to my group, if you leave; you are no longer part of my group. You may take your liquids but any rations or other types of food will be left here."

The outbreak of anger was expected. "Then how are we supposed to get food!"

"It's easy, hunt and gather it yourself. The continent of Europe is filled with wildlife and vegetation, and there is sure to be a water source somewhere close by. You want to survive; you'll have to earn it yourself. "That's absolute bullshit Garder!" But Garder was ready for a retort already. "Bullshit? Bullshit is when I refuse to break your arms for threatening my child, that's bullshit; I have given you your choices, even allowed an option for you to leave without repercussions. Take it or leave it, I will not be giving you any other choices on this matter."

"Thanks father…" Veronica murmured.

"The rest of you…" The General uttered a loud. "…Follow Mellissa and I don't expect to hear any more issues either." Turning around, Garder left the men as the others collected the provisions, the sensation of hate dripping like venom in the air. "Do you all hate me?" Veronica asked her team nervously. "Do you all really hate me that much?"

"Of course not Veronica, those guys were way out of line. I mean, yes I'm sort of afraid, but I trust you." That one was one person at least who didn't hate her.

But Mellissa herself had a little problem. She had brought them as far as she could but right now she couldn't remember of her surroundings. It was almost a miracle she had even brought them this far, but now she didn't know if they needed to go north, south, east or west. "I don't know where to go now. I can't remember where I left off and sometimes they took me several other places as well, I'm sorry."

"Are you sure Mellissa? Try to think hard." Garder asked. Shaking her head, Mellissa truly couldn't tell where to go anymore. "Alright then, you are still going to stay with me though." She nodded, one of the first times she could do so without feeling hatred for the old man. "The rest of you will split into a group of two; one heading northward, the other southward and I will continue heading west. Assuming Mellissa had brought them at least in the right direction, there was no point in going back. "All of us you have ways to contact each other, are duty is still to find Cents' location however if you run into any other issues, such a place in need of assistance, go and do so."

"Aye sir!"

*BANG!*

"FATHER!" Garder's ears might have been keen enough to hear the very click of the gun and the pulling of the trigger, his body was not good enough to turn around and dodge a bullet from close up. Feeling as if her heart had been shot out itself, Veronica screeched terribly as blood burst in a shower from the old man's chest, his amour being the only thing that kept the high caliber bullet from piercing all the way through his back. "Kuh!" Even surprised, Garder's impression kept that same look of sternness, his eyes being the only thing that widened. He actually managed to catch his balance, sliding back against his right heel and falling to his one knee.

"FATHER! FATHER!" Veronica was too busy in despair of watching her father being shot that she didn't even look at the bastard from the five who had done it. Though the same could not be said for Mellissa, whom upon seeing the closest person to a father figure being attacked by one of his own, lashed violently at them with her vectors. Invisible hands grasping their guns, then without a single ounce of mercy, Mellissa chucked them back several meters, their cries of fear echoing in the sky. "What the hell is your problem! What the hell you bastards! Bastards! Bastards!" If Veronica wasn't going to take action, Mellissa certainly would, she was pissed, humans couldn't even take care of their own kind, these five bastards, killing them certainly wouldn't be wrong would it? If they died quickly, it would just be coincidence; Mellissa only hacked and slashed with her corporeal hands, tearing off chunks of flesh so that screams now turned into guttural groans.

"BASTARDS! BASTARDS! BASTARDS!" In the end, their bodies could barely be qualified as human anymore. It wasn't like ripping off limbs, or decapitation, a clear blow to end lives. The young girl had turned the five bodies into puddles of bloody sacks of meat, some of them still twitching uncontrollably as their exposed brains went through the last acts of life. Even when dead, Mellissa went into a frightful fit of attacks, turning sacks of bloody meat into bloody smears, cracking bones, breaking nerves, screaming at them as if being grime was an insult. Because there had only been three people in her life that had ever showed her kindness. The fist was Veronica, the second was Nicholas and the third, currently with a bullet in him, was Garder. These people were not human, they may look like it, act like it, even claim to be it, but humans were not known to give kindness.

"Somebody, I need a medic!" Veronica screamed. Most of the men were in a horrified trance, starring nearly blankly as Mellissa ground shapeless meat into the ground.

"Veronica…settle down…" Garder's calm voice both settled and shocked Veronica. To speak such a way meant that Garder's wound, while harsh, may not have been as bad as she thought. But her shock was just the fact that she couldn't believe he could talk so easily when blood was covering his entire front. "Mellissa…calm down…" Hearing those words, Mellissa clutched her head and fell to her knees, doing her very best to keep herself under control. Very little pity was given to the five dead, even from the other soldiers.

"Father! Hang in their father! Father! F-Father!" She loved him, she as her father after all, the person who taken care of her for entire life, her role model, the man she wished to make proud. He wouldn't die from a single bullet; he wouldn't die from something so weak. "Help him! Somebody help him!"

Something pushed her aside. "Please move Veronica, I need to get to him." Allowing the medic to come, she held her hand to her heart, lips trembling as the man worked on her father. Garder's eyes were half closed, his mouth tightly closed. "It didn't hit any internal organs, but the impact shattered three ribs and tore up some of the tendons of the left hip, he'll survive but I don't think you'll be doing anything, not for a few months at least sir."

"**Doing fine over there Mr. General…?"**

That voice, who could miss it, the voice of the dreaded Vladimir Cents? Guns raised, Veronica prepared to butcher the bastard while Mellissa actually hid behind Veronica, trembling from head to toe. "It's a video…settle down…" Garder groaned, able to hear the specific sounds of static. Sure enough from the earth a small screen rose up, making Garder wonder just how many videos the man had around the world. This time, Vladimir would now get a good luck at Garder F. Morotisan's face.

"Hey there General, long time no see, I'm glad we're finally able to talk face to face now." He tapped the screen. "Well, close enough I guess. You know, it's kind of bad when your own men attack their General. I mean sometimes my mean try to kill me also, but I expect that, it's kind of the point of total suffering, there is equality to all. You aren't going to die yet are you, I would hate that, I mean, you're one of the few interesting people around, it makes this war oh so worthwhile."

This time he addressed Mellissa, who shivered at the voice.

"Having fun, little Mellissa, I see you've joined the other side. Despite shivering their like a scared mouse in front of a cat, you truly have grown up a bit. You make me so proud."

And now…he turned his attention to the last person he wanted to talk to.

"Hello…Veronica, have your dreams been ones of pleasantry I wonder? I guess you've figured it out now, what you really are Diclonius?" But instead of retorting, Veronica actually chuckled, leaving Vladimir with a blank look of surprise on his face. "You're wrong about that Cents, I'm just another human who happens to be a little special, I know what you did to Mellissa, don't think I'll ever forgive what you did, not just to her, but to every one you've ever hurt and killed."

"Really? A powerful declaration, but ultimately fruitless. In the end, you're still going to give into your true self, even if I have to force it, in the end you'll be a killing thing, hell bent on turning humans into waste!" She was slightly confused, he was acting as if he could control her, or more ominously, he made it sound like she was going to go insane and just start killing people without rhyme or reason. Then again, even she wasn't going to let the man with the nickname of the King of Deceit, get a hold of her heart.

She answered back, slightly more hesitantly than before. "Lies won't work on me Cents; I was raised better than that." In truth though, she hated him, his face, and his actions, all of it made her cringe on the inside with absolute vindictiveness. And the worst part of it, she couldn't explain it at all, Vladimir's antics would piss anybody who had a heart off, but she felt unnaturally hateful. But when she felt Mellissa shivering against her, an almost motherly instinct took over as she held her tightly against her. Vladimir did not directly his next words at her, but at her father who was now getting the wound staunched and wrapped.

"Do you know why, Mellissa hates humans?"

"Hm? What are you getting at Cents, I would assume it's because you are a sick person who enjoys this."

The incorrigible man laughed. "Well you got me there, that is true, but no, that's not what I mean. I can understand if you don't want to believe me, but if you won't, why don't you ask the girl yourself when you get the time. Diclonius, which is what that girl and our daughter are, have the innate desire to kill all of humanity. Sure they seem kind and gentle now, but in the end, in their very genes, you, I, and every one of us two legged men, women and children are nothing more than wasted space for them. It's quite interesting really; they say they're the evolution to mankind. Garder, do you really think your own daughter is any different?"

"Oh just shut up already!" Already gotten sick of just looking at him, Veronica yelled loudly, standing her full height and throwing her hair back. "Even if what you said was true, and I'm smart enough not to believe a single goddamn word you say, neither I nor Mellissa will ever do something like that." Vladimir snickered in his hand then said in a low voice. "How quaint, I guess for you that's easy to believe, but Mellissa has already killed humans. She's even said that she's hated them, but if you want some solid proof, why don't you check out those five splattered things that were once bodies."

"Mellissa was just angry, they tried to kill my father!" Veronica roared. She wanted to desperately punch him in the face. "Aye, and look what she did to them, she didn't just kill them, she tore them apart, left them unrecognizable, kept killing and killing when they had already died. Not to mention, if I wasn't much mistaken, only one of those men actually shot daddy. In the end, the only thing your kind can do is kill, it's the only thing your good at, in the end, all you desire to yourselves, away from humans. In truth it's not really your fault, but your DNA will soon implore that you follow that bodily function."

"…You really do…talk way too much…"

"Oh? Getting a bit pissed, little Veronica-chan…"

"Chan?" Veronica murmured.

"Oh sorry, bit of the Japanese honorifics are rubbing off on me. Wonderful place, small island nation, you can ask Mellissa about it; it's where she used to live before I snatched her away. It was amazing, hearing the first time she screamed, would you like to tell them about it?" the poor 15 year old girl shook her head, crying softly into Veronica's body. "No? I remember it vividly, you were just 10 years old, confused, wanting your mother and father, do you remember them yet? Ah yes, at first you quite brave, killed five of my men before we finally got you into that dungeon. Do you want to show them the very first wound you ever received?"

"St-Stop it…" Mellissa whimpered.

"…Yes…near the left ribs, my rod, do you know…how long a little girl can scream Veronica? I counted, she screamed, none stop for 42 seconds. She screamed, so loudly, that her throat went dry and when I pulled it out and her eyes were blind with tears, I struck again. She screamed even louder…" His tongue licked the side of his lips, closing his eyes as he enjoyed his tale of pain and misery. "The third time, she screamed, and screamed, and screamed, and screamed…until she couldn't scream again. She had done it so much that her own voice box had died out, and I still kept doing it. Do you want me to do it again, little Mellissa-chan? Do you want me to hurt you again?"

"N-No…No…N-no…." She whined, she whimpered, she clutched Veronica for support. She had never seen Mellissa this scared in her entire life. "I'll be a good girl, I'll be a good girl…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry. Hnnnnn!" She looked so pitifully pathetic and Vladimir was laughing, enjoying her suffering.

Snapping his fingers suddenly, the noise made Mellissa jump. "Well then, why don't you kill Veronica then…Mellissa?" She paused, starring at the screen with wide red eyes then looking at Veronica. "Wh-What?" She asked hesitatingly even though she had heard the words quite clearly. "You were originally sent out, to kill the woman, if you don't want to be hurt, kill her."

"…I can't…"

"Oh?"

"Hnn! Hnnnn! I CAN'T DO IT!" She screamed as if Vladimir had really struck her and she collapsed to her knees while still clinging onto Veronica's army jeans. "SHE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO ME! I CAN'T DO IT! I CAN'T! PLEASE! PLEASE!"

"Oh…well then, kill the old man…" Garder as well as the others, tensed up when they heard these words but Mellissa only cried more. "I can't…I can't…I can't. I hate humans, I hate them, but I can't hate him…even if he does make me angry, I can't even remember my own father, and he's like the next closest one!"

"Oh…I see…so you want to be hurt?"

"No…" She cried out.

"Don't worry Mellissa, when I put my rod in your gut, I will twist it. I can't wait to hear your joyous screams of pain…"

*BOOM!*

Veronica lashed out, the screen exploding in a shower of sparks and Mellissa crying loudly into her leg. "Hnnnn! Hnnnn! I'm sorry! I'll be a good girl…I promise! I promise! I'll be good, I'll be good, I promise! Haaa…Ahhhh…Ah!" He voice broke into a tiny whisper, fallen over she held her knees and tasted wet drool slipping from his mouth. "It hurts. It hurts. I'll be a…g-good girl…I promise…don't hurt me. Don't hurt me…please…please." Something was holding her, something warm and tender, the arms of someone comforting her, like Veronica did with her father, Mellissa needed this comfort, maybe more than Veronica had needed her own father to comfort her. "I won't let him hurt you Mellissa, I promise, I will never let him hurt you. I will never do what that man says, I'll never become a cold and heartless murderer like him. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you Mellissa."

"Promise?"

"Yes…I promise…I promise with all of my heart and soul."

Garder was now being relaxed on the ground, his eyes closed while Veronica tentatively looked over him. Though she couldn't see it because of the bandage, the wound had left a particular scar on his body. An X shaped wound that would last most likely for the rest of his life and his body, though healable, in no position to fight at all. "Are you alright father?" Veronica inquired nervously.

"I will be fine, but unfortunately I will have to be placed in a hospital wing for at least another 4-5 months before I can even think of returning to the battlefield. I am going to have Captain Girikuson take charge of you all until I get better, he's more than capable of leading his own men and you guys as well. The order to find Vladimir will still be on, but for now, it might be best to just join Captain Girikuson in dealing with some of the other locations in trouble, there's also a good chance that he may separate some of you to join Lt. Caston's group or Lt. Vega's group." Finishing just in time, the elderly man groaned, a piercing sting rushing through his chest. He instantly ordered Veronica to settle down before she went overboard on emotion again.

"I'll never do anything like he said…" The young woman whispered. "I'll never start killing humans indiscriminately…I promise."

"That's good…" Garder mumbled.

"Sir, I've called back and a chopper, they'll be arriving in about 4 hours." The medic replied quickly, putting his utensils away as he spoke.

"Good, be on guard, Cents obviously knows where we are, I can't rule out a sudden attack on us." But though a smart deduction, nobody would be attacking them again today. This time, the greatest casualties had been created from the inside, due to fear and uncertainty. Not everyone hated her, but at that moment due to the actions of both her and Mellissa, the strangeness and inability to explain the irrational, an invisible line had been traced between Veronica and the others. Mellissa had finally settled down, her body fallen limply against the young violet haired woman's leg before said woman sat down to offer the child a little more support. The spasmodic hic ups tore at Veronica's heart. Not only did she know where those small wounds on her body and lack of nutrition had come from, not that it surprised her, but also how much Mellissa had hated it all.

No wonder she hated humans. Who wouldn't, after what she had gone through, the mere idea of a threat was enough to put her into a sobbing wreck. No wonder she had killed those the first time, living a life of hell and fear, she finally realized just how much it had taken to really gather enough trust to even let her father touch her.

"_Pitiful things aren't they these humans…"_

She had to agree but thought to herself. "Maybe but my father, Nicholas, they aren't all bad."

"_Maybe not…but the others…you saw what happened…"_

She agreed again, perhaps these bastards had it too good for their own worth. Maybe somebody needed to teach them a lesson. But Mellissa had done that, she had taken action and the would-be murderer of her father had been dealt with. There was absolutely no pity in her eyes when gazed at the corpses, if they could only be called that. She actually looked, visually starred at them, because she was checking for even the slightest twitch of life, just so she kill them herself.

"Father…are you awake?" She wasn't sure if he had fallen asleep there, if the wound had taken its toll on his body but he answered nevertheless in his gruff voice. "What is it Veronica, I am not in the mood to talk." She had thought so, she hadn't intended to bother him nor did she intend to keep him long. "Once they take you to the hospital wing, do you think you can take Mellissa with you as well?"

"Huh?" The young girl perked her head up when she heard her Veronica.

"She's brought us this far, there's no need for her to go on any further. Besides you saw what that monster was going to do to her." Hearing these words, Mellissa could guess pretty quickly where it would be leading, yet the very thought frozen her in place. Garder's black slit eyes starred intensely at the young girl. "Very well then, I will have her stationed with me until I get better, then I will decide the next course of action."

"Do you mean…you're setting me free?" Mellissa asked tentatively.

"No, not right now. You are still under my jurisdiction not to mention you are still the most valuable asset in actually Cents regardless of whether or not you can remember where to go. I am not here to make your life miserable nor do I wish to see it become like that, nevertheless, you are still obligated to help me until I see fit. If you were so afraid of Cents harming you, then you should have thought twice before attacking my men the first time we met."

Bowing her head low, Mellissa only nodded. Veronica responded in a hurry. "Come on father, you saw how scared she was, it was the same when she killed your men too. I'm not saying it's right but she's obviously done all that she could, she deserves freedom. I know…!" Smiling, Garder couldn't help but get that funny feeling whenever someone's child decided to have one of those bright ideas that ended up being more troublesome. Veronica bent low, grasping Mellissa's shoulders and whispering happily.

"Mellissa, would you like to live with us, with me and Nicholas?"

"Ah?" She could not believe it, those words; she had never heard them before. Had they actually been spoken to her, by this woman, to her directly? "I can live…with you?" She asked nervously, almost expecting a quick laugh of rejection. For years she had spent her time with that terrible man, things like lies had been integrated so deeply into her soul that she could trust such petty words so easily. But like a sister, Mellissa found herself embraced by the other Diclonius who whispered in answer. "Of course Mellissa, we'll be just like a family. You, me and Nicholas, all together. You'll have a warm house, lots of food, clothes, all of it."

She didn't last 3 seconds, she was crying, this time tears of happiness as she clung on to this woman, this sister, this mother, this savior. If those were held true, how could she not wish with all of her heart for it to come true? But Mellissa's joyous face did not hinder the fact that Mellissa was also more than capable of murdering in cold blood and that she had a distinctive dislike for most humans. "Mellissa!"

The 15 year old girl looked at Garder.

"…I will not get in the way of my daughter's life, if she wishes to take you into our home, adopt you into her family, I will not have any objections. But you are to make me a promise, right here and right now. Unless in danger, of your own life or the life of others around you, you are never to take the life of another human. If you want to live outside in the world, you must learn to accept the world around you, one existing of humanity itself."

"…Yes…" She uttered softly. "…I promise…"

"Good…do not talk to me anymore today, I would like to rest." Garder groaned, placing his hand upon his chest and closing his eyes.

* * *

><p>Starring almost longingly at the static filled screen, Vladimir licked the bottom of lips obscenely. "Veronica…Veronica Q. Morotisan…that was your name was it? Truth be told I didn't think you would interest me this much, eve with being a Diclonius. I like that confidence you have girl, not many people have it. More importantly, you've made this journey spectacular, but there's no need to try and hide your desires. All of them have ended up the same, some longer than others. Whether you're 5, 10, 15 or even 50 years old, you will eventually give into your instincts."<p>

Sipping upon his cold drink, he gazed up at the single window over hanging the open room, the light of dawn closing in. "I've seen it all the time but to be honest, this is the first time I've seen someone so adamant about their own denial, although I doubt you'll really ignore it. I saw your face, so twisted in anger and agony, just a few more tugs and I'll have you within the grasps of bloodshed your species is so well known for. Then we'll see where it goes."

He jumped out of his seat, his expression more erratic than usual, the kind of face that only came upon Vladimir's features when he was ready to directly get into the fight. His large onyx coat fluttered heavily, fingers gripped into tight fits as he opened the gate and stepped outside, inhaling fresh air while looking upon the cloudy skies. "Keep the place busy safe, I'm going out to have a little fun!"

"As you wish Master Cents, please do not be long." His servant answered, neither positively, nor negatively, but like a butler to their master, indifferent to the matter. No one around them said anything, not of fear or hope, but just indifference. Vladimir gone would mean days maybe even weeks or bless it, months of freedom from pain and misery but not a single one of them said a world. Because not one of them felt any rejection when he was there with them. Vladimir Cents was a man who held no sympathy for anyone, not even himself. But he must be served, not because he is insanely dangerous, but because it is their choice to serve him.

"I'll try not, hmmm…you know what I need to do after this is done…" He was talking to himself now, in his usual demeanor of being ecstatic whenever hell was breaking lose. "I'd like to learn how to drive a boat, splendid little vehicles. I'll be off my fellow servants, keep the place clean, protected and have a little fun, you all look so bored just standing there."

He grasped a large bottle of whiskey, tossing it off to one of his many servants who caught it casually in his hands. "Drink up, tonight is a night of party and flamboyancy. Drink! Eat! Consider this a break, from all that blood and hell I send you through every day! Drink to your fellow soldiers, who have died for my cause! Drink to your fellow servants who have died due to my habits! Drink and eat to your heart's content…my loyal followers." He turned around, the coat waving in the wind as he stomped off, wicked thoughts rummaging through his twisted mind.

"…Because I'm going to wake somebody up…from their silly little dreams."

* * *

><p>He paused, sniffing the air like some sort of animal before rolling up his sleeve and pulling out a small map with many markings on it. Pulling out a small pen, he walked over to his walls of his citadel and carefully placed the pen on the paper. "Let' see, Morotisan and his daughter are here…" He made a note on his map then moved it to a new location. "That Vorono fellow is there, the man's a bit quaint I must say, he's got an unusual tang about him. Like if a pacifist became a warmonger, it almost doesn't make any sense." To a new location he narrowed his eyes. "There's that Vega character, strapping young lad, but highly efficient, despite his age he definitely knows how to lead his army which just leaves…" At last his pen trailed to the location on the map where Caston and his men currently were.<p>

"Who was he…some Caston guy if I remember correctly. He hasn't shown much promise, out of all of them at least, maybe a change of plan is in order." Snickering to himself, he felt the cold weight of his silver coin pressed against his tongue.

"212 dead sir…" Caston sighed and wiped the beads of blood and sweat from his forehead, swallowing the taste of vomit in his mouth. Before the war had looked to be easy, one winnable in a few months and even if it did take years, there was such confidence in all the men that felt like a vacation. Not anymore, with their numbers falling and no end in sight of this war, not to mention the lack of any reason for fighting, some of the men had started to lose morale. This was the part where Caston would start getting his troops in good spirit but even he, who was known as a joker, could not feel anything but gloom.

Months of death.

Months of walking.

Saving lives just added nothing when hundreds of more were dying, perhaps if there was a damn reason behind this, but no, that bastard Vladimir Cents had created an entire war for the soul purpose of getting his kicks. While he would have tried to give some support to his men, he wasn't arrogant enough to put their already bad mood into a worse by telling jokes, being good or bad. "Listen up…I'm not going to sugar coat anything but good job. Our next location is a small town, very few people so any problem there shouldn't be too much to handle. I know some of you are tired but we can't wait. It's not very far, just a few kilometers so, drink some water and lets go."

"Kah…you sure we can't wait just a few minutes?" one moaned. Caston couldn't blame him, he wanted nothing more than to just fall back against the ground, spread his legs and relax. "Sorry, this is your Lieutenant's orders, please cope with it. Once we finish things there, I'll personally let you all have a 2 day rest, maybe 3 if things go well enough."

"…I'll be putting you to your word." The soldier grumbled, picking himself back up.

The location they had arrived in was indeed small and ominously empty. Caston raised his rifle, leaning against the wall and carefully peeking across the side. Not a life could be seen, but there was the trace of smeared blood on the buildings and walls. "Shit…looks like they finished their sick job before we could get here. Keep on guard but look for any survivors!" Acknowledging his order, the men swarmed the town, returning an hour later to their leader.

"No survivors were found, we've checked everywhere."

"Shit…" cursing loudly, Lt. Caston called his men back. Then just as they were about to exist the town they saw a single person standing outside in the field, his crimson eyes starring with dark desires. Most of the soldiers, Caston included, just starred like deer in the headlights, hardly believing and with months being so rough, hardly able to believe that the man they were supposed to kill was standing there smiling at them. Wasting not a single moment of hesitation, Caston raised his gun as did all the others, a trail of thousands of rifles all aimed at the single man.

"VLADIMIR CENTS!" Caston roared. Unbelievable, this man, who they needed to kill, was here at last. "ON ORDER OF THE SOUTH AMERICAN SPECIALIZED MILITARY FORCE! I ORDER YOUR EXECU…GAH!" His speech cut short, a loud screech vibrated through the air. Something had slipped between the man's teeth, something gleaming of silver though it was impossible to tell what it had been from so far away.

*rumble*

"What is that sir!"

"I don't know!" Caston roared in response, the rumbling growing louder, the earth shaking from all directions.

"What is that…?" Vlad asked rhetorically, lifting his head and sporting his wide grin. "That is the sound of impending death and destruction. It's only purpose to bring absolute and total suffering to all those that come before it. This place, this town, this land, all of it will stand as your fine grave. In a few short minutes, all of you will be nothing more than memories, mere and quaint little dreams…and like all dreams, you'll eventually have to wake up from them.

"**Come forth, scourges of the Earth, I give thee your sacrifice!**

**Thousands of souls line before you, brave men of the West!**

**Let their besmirched corpses litter this land for all to see!**

**In the end…only the screams of the damned will echo!**

**Now you silly little dreamers…gaze upon that which is desire!**

…**ARMATA LUI DRACUL!"**

Louder and louder, the earth shook and the roars of something most heinous approaching from the horizon. "…What?" Something was approaching, something made his skin freeze and his legs shake uncontrollable. "No fucking way…no fucking way…no fucking way…" He whispered his curses of disbelief again and again, his men doing the same. Shooting it would mean nothing, it was impossible to stop. They were not prepared for this onslaught. Hell, how could anyone think to fare against this amalgamation of terror and suffering? There was no offense, defense or even retreat. As the wave of blackness struck them, destroying all forms of hope in the world, only one word could describe the carnage.

This was a…massacre.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter finished! A lot has happened and major changes have started to happen. in this hideous war against Vladimir Cents, ust what will happen next on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	14. Complex Nature For Us

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 14: Complex Nature For Us**

Winning? What asshole had come here and expected to actually win this war? Oh sure, tell them they could win, give them some hope, that was perfectly understandable. You didn't tell your men how victory was unlikely but this slaughter of lives was nothing they could have prepared themselves for. Caston lay on ground, drenched in blood, blind in his left eye and his vision fading in and out, most likely due to the loss of his left arm. All around him, the dead, dead of both sides certainly but most specifically, the dead of his own. He didn't dare try to count the number of enemy casualties; their numbers were so low as to be insulting. He had no ammo left and the small radio that he needed to use to contact General Morotisan, was laying a few meters away from him.

"Got to…call…Garder…" Reaching out, his weak arm desperately seeking out the small black electronic device and then watching it break into a dozen pieces under Vladimir's boot.

"Sorry, but I can't allow that." Covered in wounds, Vladimir nevertheless stood as if his bleeding body had not been riddled with at least 15 bullets. Why couldn't one of them have at least his head or heart, well the monster probably didn't even have a heart anyways. Quick as a flash, or as quick as a half dead man could, Caston pulled his pistol out, aimed but was never able to pull the trigger as Cents took one of his dreaded rods and impaled the soldiers hand to the ground. "Gah! Y-You…bastard…" He was going to die, that was sure enough to Caston. This wasn't some random enemy; this was Vladimir Cents, a man known for his wickedness and depravity. He was going to die, here, today, at this spot, and unfortunately it might even be a slow death. That in mind, he wasn't going to give the bastard any satisfaction with his death.

Twisting the rod in, the blonde haired man gave a satisfying chuckle when he saw Caston's face twist into a grimace of agony but give not even a single yelp of pain. "You are indeed a strong fellow; I see now why Garder made you a leader." Pushing the rod in more, the serrated edge began to slide in and out, cutting through tendons and bones. Again, the soldier couldn't help but clench his teeth, trying to drown out the moan from escaping his bloody lips. Couldn't his loss of an arm put him into a state of bliss yet, he wasn't sure how long he could hold up this courageous charade. More and more until with a squelching sound, half of his hand was slit off and left him unable to hold his weapon anymore.

"…Look around you…" Vladimir muttered, lifting the man up by his hair and forcing him to look at the land of death and murder. "This is my world, a world of perfect suffering. A lifeless, terrible, incorrigible world. This is what I desire most of all, to make a world completely like this."

"You're mad!" Caston yelled, spitting up the excess bit of blood in his throat into the bastard's face who casually wiped it off. "Tell me, what do you desire most of all?"

"What? My dream is to…" Before Caston could finish, Vladimir violently smacked him across the face, a look of intense anger in his eyes. "No you fool, I did not ask for your dreams. I asked what your greatest desire was."

Caston choked, spitting up against and closing his eyes, hoping the blackness would finally rob him of his consciousness. "What the hell…guh…are you talking about you insane freak? Desires and dreams are exactly the same fucking thing aren't they?" Perhaps he shouldn't have spoken; he could feel the blackness of unconsciousness just about to reach him before Vlad's stronger backhand startled him back away before his body was thrown harshly to the ground. He didn't even look at him, and even if had the energy to; he didn't want to look at him either. He could only hear Cents' voice, suddenly devoid of the manic happiness he always had. Was he the first to ever hear Vladimir Cents in a sour mood?

"You…bastard…" If he had seemed inhuman before, Vladimir was now a completely different person. "It's all the same with you fuckers, constantly trying to claim that dreams are the same as desires. You couldn't be more wrong if you tried, they're on the complete opposite of the scale! Dreams are only weak thoughts that everyone must awaken from eventually, no dream last forever! I have a dream? Bullshit! There is no such thing as an eternal dream, not even death! But desires, you don't have to wake up from desires." Clenching his fists, Vladimir spat on the ground by Caston's head, pulling out his gun and aiming for his head.

"As long as one does not give up on their desires, they will eventually succeed. People however…are too weak minded, too weak in the soul and heart to seek out these desires. They only grasp their dreams, thinking high and mighty but never allowing their souls to truly seek it. Everyone wakes up from their dreams, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you believe, they will never come true! You can't make dreams come true, it is impossible!"

*BANG!*

Finally, the execution was completed but there was little happiness in Vladimir's eyes even when surrounded by that which he grasped for his entire life.

"People give up so easily on their desires and when it fails, they try to grasp shitty dreams as if they refuse to believe that they can't wake up from them…"

* * *

><p>Although help would arrive for him in a few hours, maybe a day at most, he did not feel comfortable leaving his daughter alone with his men until Vorono arrived. That of course would mean that they would have to stay at their location until Vorono arrived, which by foot, Vorono would probably take between 3 weeks to a month to arrive. Both tactics and Garder's wounds refused to wait for such a thing which only lead to his other idea. He would bring Veronica along with him and have his men stay stationed in the area until Vorono's arrival. He trusted his daughter and he, for the most part, trusted his men. But he could not find it in himself to trust both his daughter and his men together. Though they wouldn't have their General directly with them, Garder could still give commands via radio.<p>

The war was becoming harder and harder, morale was down, problems always arising, new threats always coming. Most of all, Garder had been thinking hard on Vlad's last words to his daughter. _"In the end, you'll be a killing thing, hell bent on turning humans into waste!"_ And every time he heard those words in his head, he kept gazing over to the sloppy pile of bodily wastes that Mellissa had conjured in her act or rage. These things, these Diclonius as they were called, just what might happen if one did get out of control? Veronica actions, here emotions, all of them seemed to be going out of control, her anger, her fury, her inability to control herself, was this some sort of breakdown of her thoughts? No, he had to erase such thoughts from his head immediately, he had lost his daughter's trust before, and he couldn't lose it again. This was war, and in war, emotional breakdowns were not only common but also accepted. He should feel relieved that Veronica was having hardships in war, it meant she was normal.

But this wasn't a normal war, this was never a normal war.

"Mellissa…" Garder voiced out in a low whisper, startling the young girl who didn't expect to be called upon. "If you were to live with humans, how would you react?" The question was just as surprising as the fact that Garder had actually spoken to her. Unable or rather, unsure how to answer the question, the young Diclonius bowed her head low, looking rather crestfallen. "Answer the question."

"I don't know…" She finally muttered. "…I…I don't know anymore. Veronica is like me, she's a Diclonius so I don't have any ill feelings towards her. But…besides you and…Veronica's husband…I just can't…" She stopped, looking at Veronica as if hoping she'd be able to answer for her. Smiling tenderly at her, the young woman grasped the girl's shoulder. "There's no need to fear or hate anyone Mellissa, sure there may be a few bastards like Vladimir out there, but not every human is such a monster."

"That's not what I'm talking about though…" Garder thought darkly. "This isn't a matter of simple hatred, this goes down into a serious biological understanding. There are people who have gone through even worse than this girl and though they may hate their captors, they don't hate the entire world. This girl, before meeting us, held a resentment of the entire human race and even though she says she wants to trust me, I can sense in her voice she is still unsure on the matter. Maybe she really does mean what she says, that she wants to go on a new life, with new friends and families." But something just seemed wrong, something that pricked at Garder's mind constantly.

"Who's this…Vorono guy?" Mellissa asked Veronica curiously. "He's an old friend of my father, don't worry, he's a very good man and I trust him completely."

"I see…"

There it was, right there. The very voice that Mellissa answered with was not one of acceptance, but one of dark uncertainty. Even now, the idea of another human coming was not going well with her. Even now, her red eyes would sometimes dart to his men and he could hear low hisses under her breath. Even so, Veronica never displayed that illicit ill feelings before, at least not until now, but then again, Mellissa had gone through a lot more than Veronica ever had. She honestly seemed to be trying to find some salvation with herself, attempting to actually like that which she hated, other humans. But something was wrong, something that maybe she couldn't control herself.

"Why do you hate other people so much?" Veronica's question was just what Garder needed and he listened intently to Mellissa's answer.

"Because I've always been hurt, constantly torn apart and made to live in a hellish world. I hate them, just hated them so much…and this voice kept talking in my head…"

"Wait…what!" Veronica may have addressed her confusion, but her father was just as surprised as the adult Diclonius was.

Looking down against at her feet, Mellissa tried to explain as best as she could. "Y-Yes, I kept hearing this voice inside of my head, constantly telling me to kill humans. I heard it when I killed those bastards over there." As she pointed casually to the sacks of human meats, another one of Vladimir' statements popped up inside of his head. He had made the statement that only one man had actually shot him, but Mellissa had killed them all without restraint. This was no lie, only one man had shot him, but Mellissa had killed them all. No, she had not killed them, she had utterly slaughtered each one to the point where she kept blindly slashing at their corpses when they were long dead. Was Mellissa actually unable to control her urges?

"You made a promise to me Mellissa, that you will never harm another person, be human or…Diclonius, unless you are provoked and even then you are to keep your mind steady." Was that even possible though, could this 15 year old girl, his illogical hatred of humanity actually keep calm? Diclonius, just what were these horned girls, even his own daughter, how did they come to this world?

"Father, I want you to rest, I'm going to call Nicholas and Caston and tell them what happened."

Nodding his approval, Garder rested his hand on his wounded chest. The younger Diclonius, like a small child, followed Veronica who walked away from everyone else as to speak privately, especially with Nicholas. Hearing his voice on the radio already made her heavy heart rise, just the voice alone sent a shiver of love down her spine. It was impossible to tell for sure, but if she really was pregnant, she couldn't wait to tell him. "Ver! Long time no see my darling, what's the call for, does the Old Man need something?"

"About that actually…" She paused, she needed to word this correctly. "…My father suffered an accident and was shot, he'll be alright but he needs medical treatment. A chopper is supposed to be arriving soon and I and Mellissa will be heading with him. We contacted Vorono, but even without problems it'll be at least a few weeks before he arrives. Father's men are staying in this location until his arrival."

"I understand, does he want me to do anything?"

Veronica shook her head, despite the fact that Nicholas obviously couldn't see her. It might have just been a natural physical act. "Not right now, he wants you to stay there with your team and keep helping out the other locations. Speaking of which, how is it going over there?"

"Can't say it's going that good, I've lost 212 of my men through these last few months and I never feel like we're getting anywhere."

"I know what you mean, but we'll win, I promise. Oh…I can't hold it in anymore, we're not sure right now…but there's a good chance that I may be pregnant." There was silence on the radio, afraid that she had said it at the wrong time, Veronica hoped she hadn't done something wrong. But then there was laughter on the other end. "Y-Your kidding right?" His reply was not one of rejection but just simple curiosity. "Well my belly has been growing a bit, but even then it could just be me, but if I am pregnant, I'll be stationed at one of the hospital wings until the pregnancy comes. When it does, we'll have you flown over to me."

"Wow…I can't believe I might actually be a father…this is almost too much for me. If you are pregnant my love, I know you will be a great mother." She smiled at the compliment, blushing a deep scarlet. "If it's a girl, I want to name her Ilya. Ilya Quetzerlot Vega. I think it's a beautiful first name and she'll have my middle name and obviously your last name."

"Sounds good, but what if it's a boy? Kind of going for a Nicholas Junior if you know what I mean."

Veronica laughed, obviously more would be put into the name of the birth, if she was actually pregnant, if it was a boy. Somehow though, maybe it was just wanting to believe so hard, she had a strong feeling she would give birth to a girl. "Is Mellissa there, I'd like to say hi, if she doesn't mind?"

"She's right here with me, here…Mellissa?"

Mellissa was staring at her, like a deer caught in the headlights, mouth half way open and eyes wide as they could be. She looked absolutely flabbergasted and Veronica was actually beginning to feel a little worried about her. "What's wrong Mellissa?" Tensing up at her own question, Veronica looked around, perhaps expecting to see Cents somewhere but Mellissa's notions of total surprise had nothing to do with dangers. Placing her hand against her mouth, Mellissa whispered in a tone of deep amazement.

"Y-You never told me you were a Queen…"

Now it was Veronica's turn to look completely surprised. A Queen, what on earth was that supposed to mean? "Uh? M-Mellissa, what do you mean by that? I'm not royalty or anything." But the younger Diclonius instantly yelped, "How can you say that? You said you could give birth, only a Queen Diclonius can give birth!" Veronica was confused but Mellissa was looking almost elated, as if she was viewing the young woman as a completely different person right now. "I can't believe it! You're a Queen!" She exclaimed loudly, the only thing surprising her more than knowing the woman before was a royal Diclonius was Veronica's casual attitude until then.

"Mellissa, it really isn't that surprising, I'm a woman so getting pregnant should be possible. One day you might find someone you love and have a child yourself."

She shook her head furiously. "No I can't, I'm a Sipilet!"

"Ver? You still there?" Nicholas asked over the radio. But Veronica didn't answer, because yet another thing new to her had just been said. "What's a Sipilet, I thought you were…a…what was it, Diclonius?"

Mellissa had to resist the urge to smack her own face in disdain. Veronica was taking this far too casually than she should have. The woman was pregnant, or might get pregnant, the point was it was possible for her to have a baby. This was something was well known throughout the Diclonius community, regardless of whether they were in facilities or not. The vast majority of them were Siplilets, but on those rare occasions, a certain pure Queen would be born, the only one capable of reproduction.

"This is kind of new to me Mellissa, I mean…I just assume I could get pregnant whenever I wanted. Let's just leave this for another time, you want to talk to Nicholas?" Still shocked, she nevertheless took the radio, holding it the wrong way in a quite comical manner and spoke in a timid tone. "…It's you…huh human?" Nicholas only laughed heartily, hearing the forced nature in Mellissa's voice. Then without warning she blurted out, "You impregnated our Queen! If you do anything to hurt her or our kind, I'll make sure you never walk again!"

"Queen? What are you…what? Ver, what's going on here?"

Quickly grabbing the radio from the young girl, Veronica answered hastily. "N-Nothing at all Nicholas, Mellissa's just being funny. I need to go now, I have to call Lt. Caston and tell him what's going on too." Not waiting for another reply, Veronica turned off the radio, giving Mellissa a hard look. "You can't just start telling people these thing, have a little courtesy!"

*SMACK!*

The last thing Veronica expected was to have a flustered Mellissa reach up and smack her straight across the face. The rest of the men, mostly those uncomfortable with the two girls, probably got the impression that they were about to attack and rip each other apart. "Courtesy! The ones who need courtesy are those people around you! You're a Queen, a freaking Queen, the greatest Diclonius to ever exist! Those people should be begging you for mercy! Oh…Oh…ahhh…" She sighed deeply, turning around and holding her head while Veronica held her hand to her cheek tenderly, more surprised than angry. "You know what, this isn't getting anywhere, I need to lay down." Mellissa moaned, walking away and then falling back with eyes staring up into the sky.

Across from them, though he said nothing, Garder had heard every single bit of the conversation.

"Well then…I better give Caston a call, hope he tells a good joke, I need it right now." But there was no answer, just the sound of static from the other end. She waited again, still no answer. "He might be busy with something…" There was a very good chance that he and his men were actually in a fight and he just couldn't get to his radio at the moment. This was war, as had been stated many times, if she couldn't contact him before the chopper arrived to pick up her father, Mellissa and herself, she'd let Vorono contact him. Leaving her with nothing else to do but ponder her own existence.

"A Queen…?" She thought deeply, looking at her own hand and moving her fingers. "I don't feel any different, but Mellissa knows a lot more about me then even I would know. I keep calling myself human but from the moment I learned to use these strange arms of mine, I always knew I was different. I just didn't realize I was 'that' different. I'm going to be so glad when this war is over, I really want to go home with Nicholas."

* * *

><p>Across the sky, the sound of the motor could be heard before a minute later the chopper arrived, landing while two men with a stretcher ran out and picked Garder up who if he was awake, said nothing and kept his eyes closed the entire time. "Let's go Mellissa!" The young girl followed the woman she saw as an older sister, stopping shortly when the two men gave her a strange look. "Who are you?"<p>

"Please don't worry, she's supposed to be coming with me and General Morotisan, let her come in." Veronica replied gently. Shrugging their shoulders indifferently, they let them on, leaving the group of soldiers at the bottom to gaze up as the helicopter vanished over the horizon. Garder had gave them a few orders, and if they had to go anywhere to at least head in the direction that would make it easier for them to meet Captain Girikuson. Mellissa starred out the window, but though being the first flying, there was actually very little joy in her eyes. She kept looking at the pilots, feeling a sensation of dark hatred burning inside her heart.

"N-No…" Her whisper was only heard by herself, she looked away, leaning her head against Veronica's shoulder and closing her eyes. "I can't listen to it, that voice. If I hurt them, then I won't get to live with Veronica anymore." Her thoughts drifted herself into deep sleep, before awakening some time later, the chopper having landed at a port in some unknown town. Garder, this time truly having fallen asleep, was rushed to emergency care while Veronica and Mellissa stayed inside. There was no reason to come in, she'd only be getting in the doctor's way and she knew that her father was in good hands.

Trying to get Caston one more time before she called in Vorono, she at last got an answer. "Ah, I wasn't sure when I was going to get you Caston, things have…"

"Is that you…Veornica-chan?"

!

*Clatter*

The sound of the radio hitting the hard ground would never stop the shivers from running down her spine. She picked up the radio and answered in the coldest of voices. "What the hell have you done Vladimir Cents!" The pilot instantly tensed up and looked over his shoulders at her and Mellissa quickly slid against Veronica for comfort.

"You must be trying to contact that Caston man, sorry dreamer, he's dead. It must really suck knowing that a good man such as him and all of his men are now dead. This war isn't going to well for you."

"Where the fuck are you!" Veronica's harsh words made Mellissa think she was looking at different person herself. The only thing she could hear from the other end was the distinctive laughter from the Twisted Relic. "You know I can't tell you that, it would get rid of all the fun. But I think you do realize something right now, I just murdered one of your groups, what makes you think I can't do it to you?"

She didn't answer.

"Where's the old man? Is he willing to talk?"

She didn't answer again but she did leave the chopper, telling Mellissa to come with her as they headed towards the clinic. Unseen, the staff could feel some sort of presence around Veronica, an invisible aura of hate and murder that streamed in the form of invisible hands. She barely even noticed it herself, only Mellissa could and she tried to keep her distance. "Where is my father?" She asked in a cracked voice, trying to keep her composure.

"General Morotisan is currently in the Emergency Room, I apologize but you'll have to wait a couple of hours Veronica." She understood, even if she did go in, her father was more than likely sedated. "He's not able to talk right now…" She whispered back in the radio, her voice cold and filled to the brink with disgust.

"Oh well, I'll be keeping this radio with me, ever feel like giving a call, go right ahead.

With the radio off, Veronica was left in silence expect for the occasional bustling of the hospital. Therefore, she went outside to contact the other leaders and tell them what had happened.

8 months later…Veronica would finally give birth.

* * *

><p>Author's notes: I'm all done with my University exams which means I can finally get back to Pinpoint Zero. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and I hope to get the next one out fairly soon.<p>

R&R


	15. Ilya

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 15: Ilya**

Something like time had been lost a long time ago, but Number Zero assumed a few months had passed. If he knew how much, he might have been a bit surprised, but there hardly any concern or even emotion inside him now. It was better to say that Number Zero was just bored and the experimentations, the setting, Riku, all of them had become so normal and expected for him that there was no longer any reason to be concerned. He hated it, yes, but it no longer had that illicit feeling to it, now a days, he hated it because it was just natural. Alone in his cell, naked as the day he was born, the brown wide brimmed hat still lay in the exact same spot as before. Although it had remained in the same spot for over 8 months, with exception of dust, it remained completely scratch free. At first thinking that some idiot had just thrown his trash away into his cell, perhaps seeing him and his room as nothing but trash in the end. When he thought that some person had actually thrown the hat there for him, it only added more to his confusion.

It would be great at hiding his horns, but it wasn't like they were taking him outside. Was it just some sort of accessory he could wear when they bashed the balls into his face? He of course didn't bother to contemplate such things for very long. Raising his hand, he concentrated his mind, watching his hand form into the vector shape and casually waved it through the air before returning it back to its original form. Unlike his fellow kin, he could not use his powers as he pleased, utilizing them for too long put a large strain on his body and mind.

"They're screaming again…" He thought heavily, hearing the voices of the girls through the walls, one again was being excessively loud. She had to be new, maybe had a family or friends and was taken away. Assuming she didn't do something stupid and get killed, she'd get used to the whole thing. They eventually all did, but still, it got annoying knowing that the next few days would filled with the high knee of cries from little girls. Thank goodness he had stopped giving a damn some time ago, he had a feeling he'd go off the edge like he had before.

Louder and shriller, she screamed, an annoying sound that needed to stop. Even though it lasted for hours, he never cared a single bit.

* * *

><p>Through death and destruction, life passed in a singular moment and a new sound was heard. This time, it was not the sound of screams that was heard, but the sound of new life being born. Veronica had returned back to the battlefield a week later after the incident with Garder and fought alongside Vorono. Mellissa had, on a very surprising note, actually decided to come with her under her own free will, though she said it was to protect her Queen, something that still startled her to this day. The war was, in a relative sense, quite calm during those times. That was to say that Vladimir hadn't started pulling crazy shit like he used to, such as killing massive amounts of people.<p>

Obviously the case of Caston and his team's death had been a moral crusher, but in war, one had to continue. Until every last one of them died, they had no choice but to continue on. Speaking of Cents himself, considering how chaotic he was, it was a bit strange knowing that he had barely made an appearance, both on the battlefield and just in general. Before, he had made it almost a passion to walk into towns and fuck everything up while laughing…while being taped. Nobody had seen him in these past months but until evidence said otherwise, they had to assume he was very much alive and kicking.

The time passed, battles fought, lives lost and then about 5 months later, the pains really started to kick in. It wasn't surprising, they had thought she might be pregnant. Mellissa of course was absolutely astounded and ecstatic, not something you'd see every day. A completely related person getting that excited over another woman getting pregnant. She, along with Mellissa who even had she been told to say, would have adamantly refused to leave Veronica's side, was sent off to another small base town, for her to rest. At her father's command, who likewise had returned back to duty, a scar forever etched on his chest, she would be able to say there until her pregnancy came. The birth was expected between February 22 and the 27, though things might happened unexpectedly happen. To allow for him to support her during this time, Garder had allowed Nicholas to come and stay at the base until the birth was over. Nicholas had also refused to tell his wife that her father had given him a most stern talking on how one shouldn't get their military wives pregnant during the actual war. It had been one of the most grievous ten minute lectures of his life and there wasn't a thing he could say, because dear old father-in-law was right. He loved Veronica, more than any other person in the world, but he should have been more careful.

But that was then and this was now. Veronica had never been so happy, not only to get away from the warfare, but to be with Nicholas after all that time. Every tender hug and kiss was meant to help reconcile the long term absences from each other. Mellissa, who already been overprotective of Veronica once she discovered the woman was reproducing Queen, got completely out of hand during the last few months before the expected birth. Nicholas often had to explain that he was the father and that he needed to see his wife and sometimes only after Veronica told her, did Mellissa actually let Nicholas see her.

"Mellissa, she's my wife, you have to let me see her."

"No, she's not your wife, she's your…" She paused, thinking of the word then snapping back at him. "…Fiancé, it's different!" He didn't know whether to laugh or scorn her, but he couldn't help but argue with her, if only playfully.

"But if she's my fiancé, doesn't that mean I should already be able to see her anyways?" It was rather cute, the face that Mellissa gave before she crossed her arms and looked away, not wanting to admit that Nicholas, much less a human, was right. "That was different, I didn't know that Veronica was a Queen. Listen to me!" She pointed her finger at Nicholas and glaring rather darkly so that her red eyes seemed to have a seemingly morbid shine to them. "Queen Veronica likes you, a lot, she loves you, something I didn't think a Diclonius could do. You also seem to love her as well, you don't care that she has horns or that she's different from you. Then again, neither of you know what it truly means to be a Diclonius, kind of irksome. But if you EVER…" She put extreme emphasis on the word, finger stilled pointed.

"…Do anything to hurt her, or make her unhappy, or look at her the wrong way, or…or…mispronounce a single syllable of her name…" She stammered, losing her cool for a second but earning it back almost instantly. "Then I swear I'll make sure you never come near her again!" She starred, her eyes ablaze and finger still pointed while Nicholas starred with a somewhat worried expression, then heartily rubbed the top of her head while she childishly tried to pull away, looking angry but also blushing a deep red. "D-Don't do that, I'm serious!" But instead of being intimidated, Nicholas smiled in a friendly manner and said calmly. "It's not that I don't believe you Mellissa, it's just that you're worrying too much. This Queen thing is still new to me as well, but it only makes Veronica even more special to me than before."

She smiled sweetly at her fiancé, wrapping her arms around him and bringing him forward so that he was gently leaning against her bulging belly, planting a singular warm and romantic kiss upon his lips. "That's right Mellissa, I trust Nicholas with all of my heart and all of my soul, for everything we go through, he's always been there for me in the end. Yes, we'll argue, and yes we may disagree, but this has been something that has been planned between for a long time…though." She placed her hand on her swollen stomach, giggling loudly. "I don't think we ever expected this so soon."

"It'll have horns too." Mellissa said, her voice low and looking away. The two gazed at her, not saying anything but their faces clearly asking the same question. Mellissa folded her hands in front of her, sighing and then speaking. "The baby, it'll have horns just like you Queen Veronica…"

"Please don't call me that, just call me Veronica, or even Ver." The young woman stated.

"Alright then, Veronica. You've touched Nicholas with your vectors before, the moment you did you passed on our genes to him, and any child you give birth to will be a Diclonius. It might also be a Queen as well, just like her mother." Veronica piped in. "Wait, you said 'her' you mean you know it will be a girl?"

"It's not that I know, it's just kind of obvious. Every single Diclonius, that I've known at least, has always been a female, I've never even heard of a male before."

Nicholas pouted sarcastically. "Awwww, I really wanted to have Nicholas Junior, we'd play baseball, race cars, teach him how to highjack the girls panties when he enters high school." His joking earned a hard slap from Veronica, who apparently didn't take the joke as well as he did. "Listen you, you're supposed to be teaching our baby how to be good, besides, you didn't do that did you?" He looked at his own feet instead of answering her question, his face going red. "Ehhh, I mean…I was young and…"

"You did!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry! Sorry! It was a long time ago, I was with some friends, there was this other girl I liked and…"

"Other girl?" Veronica yelled, clenching her fist. "Who was this girl?"

"Your jealous aren't you?" Mellissa asked, Veronica going red in the face as well. "J-Jealous! I'm not jealous of anything, I just wanted to hear this story he keeps trying to ignore." Mellissa gave a rather mischievous grin when she heard that before walking up near Nicholas and wrapping her arms around his confused head. "Oh…you say you aren't jealous, well then, you probably won't mind if I…" She brought him down unexpected, locking her lips against his own, the warm sensation of her lips gently rubbing against his own. Veronica, moments from lashing out instead stopped and shook her head. "N-Nope, not going to say anything, I know you're just doing that to make me angry and Nicholas isn't doing anything."

"Really? Then you won't mind if I…" Her vectors emerged, gripping Nicholas' body tightly against her so that even if he wanted to get away, such a thing would be impossible. There her mouth opened side and the kiss became more enamored as she began breathing heavily. Her tongue had already began to creep inside, slipping down while her eyes looked back at Veronica.

"N-No…still nothing…not jealous…"

Veronica might have been able to last a little longer until the final act came along.

"O-Ooooh, that feels so good…" Mellissa moaned, taking her corporeal hands and forcing Nicholas's own physical hand to rub down her back before her left leg gently lifted up to swing around his waist. "Oh you've always been in my eyes, forget that woman, and let me show you what it feels like to make love to a younger girl…" At this point, especially as it seemed Mellissa might actually have forgotten she was trying to make a point, Veronica stepped in hastily.

"That's enough, I get it…you made your point!"

The Sipilet giggled, covering her mouth and walking away. As serious as she might have looked, she would never do anything to upset Veronica, although, and she still wouldn't say it, it felt good kissing him again. Nicholas, free of his invisible binds looked apologetically at Veronica. "Y-You know I had nothing to do with this, I was trying to pull away but she had me locked tight!" Nicholas exclaimed haplessly, waving his hands apologetically. Veronica apparently wasn't in a mood to hear him out as her eyes scrutinized him severely. "This is the second time you've let that happen dear, tell me, did you enjoy it?"

Oh he hoped Veronica was just playing with him, but that look in her eye, he didn't think he'd ever seen his fiancé look so morbid in his life. She stepped up to him as he took a step back, afraid he was going to get a lot more than a scolding. "Tell me Vega, did you like it at all? Answer me!" She was playing right? He couldn't answer, only mumble and continue to wave his hands in the air before something gripped his body together. She was using her powers on him, gripping him tightly before she pressed her lips tightly against his own, and not even allowing him to move. Upon letting go, her face still a little red but more brightly lit than it had before, wiggled her fingers at her while smiling mischievously. "Don't forget, I'm your love."

Wiping the bead of sweat form his forehead, Nicholas muttered in relief, "Ah thank goodness, I thought I was going to get hurt there." With possible wounds negated, Nicholas bent down on his knees and pressed his hands against the belly of his wife. "At this stage, the child should be able to hear sound now. If what Mellissa says is true, then that means we'll be having a little girl very soon. " Pressing his face against her, he began speaking a low tone. "Hey there, my little Ilya, so cozy and happy in your mother's belly. You can hear me right, your loving father. Though this world might not be the best, you'll always receive the love and support that you'll need. I'll always be there, along with your mother Veronica as well. You'll even have another person there to look up to, a young woman named Mellissa. You'll be able to play with your Aunt Jessica, Uncle Ishori and Grandfather Garder. We'll always take care of you, our lovely little Ilya."

Veronica, her smile sweet and kind closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and sang in a soft and melodious tenor.

"_**Do you see the raindrops spreading across the ground**_

_**Filling it with all the sense of pain and sadness?"**_

As her voice sang out, Nicholas joined in, leading to the second verse.

"_**Do you see the tears trickling down every single cheek**_

_**Desperately wanting to fulfill a single joy?**_

With so much love in her heart, Veronica continued.

_**Look upon the sky with all your heart**_

_**A fragment of a melody.**_

Pride etched into his heart, Nicholas held his hand to her the belly as the words slipped out.

"_**Look upon the clear green ground and tell me what you see now**_

_**As the wind blows wife and free."**_

With pride, love and hope that nothing could shatter, they sang together to their unborn child, for her to hear those words of love and acceptance.

"_**Look now across the wide blue skies, always an etch of hope.**_

_**No more tears, no more lie no more pain to bring.**_

_**Look now across the vast green fields, always flowing true.**_

_**A family knits their hearts together and looks up at the sun.**_

_**Now rest easy there, close your eyes and let peaceful sleep…lay…you…down."**_

* * *

><p>For a woman about to give birth for the first time, Veronica was amazingly calm and collected. Nicholas attempted to look confident but every once in a while he couldn't but think something would be wrong with the birth. Mellissa on her part actually had to be physically held back by Nicholas because she somehow saw the nurses and doctors as threats. This wasn't just a regular birth, for the first time, she was going to see a Queen give birth. Most of the staff were leaning against the wall from the Mellissa hissing like a feral cat at them until Veronica had to tell her that they needed them to help her.<p>

"So like…is this going to hurt or…?"

*BOOF!*

Eyes shooting out, Veronica let out a incredibly loud yet somehow over the top rant. "OH MY GOD IT FEELS LIKE MY STOMACH IS GOING TO TURN INSIDE OUT AND BLOW UP!" She quickly grabbed an unexpected doctor by his collar, bringing him forward with her eyes alive and a little bit crazy. "GET THIS THING OUT OF ME!"

"V-Ver! Calm down, it'll be…" Nicholas started, only to be quick shut by his woman. "DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! IT KEEPS PUSHING! YOU DID THIS TO ME NICHOLAS VEGA! HOW DARE YOU STICK YOUR THING INTO ME, OH SHIT! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!"

"Just relax and push…" The doctor muttered.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST FEW MINUTES! BLASTED CHILD, WAIT UNTIL YOUR MOTHER SPEAKS TO YOU ABOUT THIS! YOU ARE SO DEAD NICHOLAS!"

Nicholas on his part now joined the staff members against the wall, leaving only one extremely agitated doctor and one cheerful Mellissa. "It's alright Veronica, I know you'll do well, just a little more." She said happily, earning a little pat on the head by Veronica whose expression had changed to quickly one might have thought she'd gone bi-polar. "You're so sweet, Mellissa…" Before suddenly yelling at the doctors again. "THE THING IS STILL IN ME! GET IT OUT! IT'S LIKE A MILLION KNIVES CONSTANTLY GOING INTO MY BELLY, RIPPING OUT AND...Nicholas…hold my hand." Her voice, a soft whimper now reached out for her love who, after making sure he wasn't about to get thrown through the wall, gently grasped it.

…

…

In her arms, bundled tightly in soft fabrics, a little baby girl slept soundly in her mother's arms. The tiny wisps of colorful hair did nothing to hide the two horns poking out of her skull. It was easy to tell whose side of the family she took from, but a little bit of Nicholas' features could be seen on her, such as the shape of her eyes, nose and mouth. She had been a loud one, which only said how healthy she was and due to her mother's own physical features, the doctors didn't pay much attention to the two horns sticking out of her head. Nicholas leaned against the bed, gently caressing his newborn child while Mellissa stood at the back, hands behind her back to give them room but refusing to leave Veronica's from her sight.

"Isn't she wonderful Nicholas, our little baby Ilya right here in our arms." Veronica cooed, gently brushing her finger through the child's hair who timidly shook and sought more comfort in her parents embrace. "Ilya Quetzerlot Vega, look how precious you are."

"She's not just a baby, she's also a Queen." Mellissa finally said, still standing away. "And when she gives birth it'll be a Queen too, and her a Queen. Your baby is one of many of the royals who will pass down in time." Veronica smiled and said in her soft voice. "That may be true Mellissa, but for us, it doesn't matter what she is. She is our baby, our lovely little child who we will take care of, so that she grows up, goes to school, and makes friends, all of it." She gently cuddled her baby, letting one finger gently spread over the large horns.

"Mellissa, would you like to see her?" Nicholas asked.

"Wh-What?"

"You're part of our family now too you know, therefore she's your little sister."

Mellissa shyly walked over, standing above the baby who just happened to open up her crimson colored eyes to look at her. For a moment the two girls just starred at each other like lost puppies before Ilya began crying shrilly. "Wh-What! I didn't mean to make her cry!" Mellissa apologetically exclaimed, trying to calm the baby down while Veronica gently rocked her. "Don't cry Ilya, she's your big sister Mellissa."

Still crying, Mellissa tried to comfort the baby by gently placing her hand on her face. The child paused for a moment, hiccupping then closed her eyes. "There we go, see, she does like you Mellissa." Nicholas uttered softly, earning a smile from the young Sipilet who held her face close to the baby. This was her family and no longer would she have to face harsh pains again. She snuggled close to all of them, her family, of human and Diclonius.

* * *

><p>With Veronica needing to stay in bed to rest, Nicholas decided now would be good times to not only take Mellissa out, but also for the two to get to know each other. Mellissa at first had been a little bit uncertain, even going as far as to ask Veronica if it was alright. "Sure Mellissa, just don't do anything rash…that goes the same for you Nicholas." She added in much darker voice to her fiancé who nervously shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. Then quickly whispered over at Mellissa. "Please don't do anything that'll get Veronica to murder me."<p>

Outside, Nicholas brought the young girl to the outskirts of town to head to the more natural part of the outside. The Sipilet remained a good steps behind him, musing stuff over her head. "Even if he is a human, he is the Queen's mate. He seems good enough and she does like him a lot. As long as he takes care of her and the baby, I won't do anything at all, but if does anything to hurt them." Unbeknownst to the man, Mellissa brought out her hands, bringing them around Nicholas in a nonthreatening manner. It was more to say she was making her mark, letting her hands slide around the air but never actually touching his body. "You're different, that's for sure, you and the old man, and they aren't like those who hurt me. But I promise you, do anything to upset her, and I…"

"Something wrong?" Nicholas called out.

"O-Oh nothing!" The girl replied, putting on a close eyed smile and jogging up closer, if only to make things less awkward between the two. This man clearly loved The Queen and The Queen clearly loved him. He clearly loved his child and would do anything to protect her. This man clearly had nothing against Mellissa, no ill feelings, no disgust with her horns, nothing at all. Despite all of this, somewhere, deep in her mind, she couldn't help but get a sensation of loathing for him. He could befriend her, give her gifts, love her, all of it, and somehow, if only a tiny percent, she would hate him. Maybe it wasn't his fault though, with her life being a living hell, it was more likely a psychological issue she had attained. Humanity had cursed her and it was only now that humans had become something that were not synonymous with pain and misery.

"How did you meet Que…Veronica?" She asked, fairly curious on this too. It would be interesting to hear how a Diclonius actually fell in love with a human."

Nicholas scratched the back of his head and laughed. "I met Veronica when she was 18 years old, beautiful girl, sweet and tender but amazingly confident. Meeting with her father, I could understand why she was so confident as well, she may not show it externally, but Garder really rubbed off on her. We were both military people and so we sort of had a connection there at the beginning. One day, when we were good friends, she suddenly used her hands on me, freaked me out back then." He paused, taking on a more…sterner expression.

"…Her father, always told me to keep her powers a secret, that telling anyone would just make things harder on her. These invisible hands, what you apparently call vectors, they were never a tool of mass murder or destruction for me and her. They were just playthings, a unique gift she had that only made her more special to me. I never felt insulted or jealous of her and as far as I know, it was rare for her to even use them.

Anyways…" he continued, putting a calmer expression back on. "We got to know each more and more, discovered we had many interests in commons and finally, about 4 months before we came here, I finally asked her to marry me. Hearing her say yes was second only to my daughter being born as the proudest day of my life. She's always been intelligent, confident and amazingly beautiful, almost exotic. I can tell when you get older, you won't be too bad yourself."

Quickly blushing and turning away, Mellissa yelled out childishly. "D-Don't bring me into this!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Yes, she is an amazing woman."

"And you never had any problems?"

"Nothing serious, the occasional argument here and there but that was expected."

Mellissa narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She had expected to hear a story of how Veronica might have hated him and how Nicholas used, whatever to gain her trust. As the two continued to walk, a semi-large cliff hanging by their left, Mellissa sighed and lifted a rock with her vector, casually tossing it up and down. "I used to live in Japan, where many of my kind, Diclonius that is, are supposed to exist. We're captured by men, taken to facilities, and made to experience horrible tortures." At first thinking Mellissa was just telling a scary story, Nicholas was mortified to hear how serious the girl sound and the look she gave him was devoid of any joy or happiness, and even less, comedy.

"I was never taken there myself, but I had about how my kind were taken there. I don't know if it was worse than what I faced here, but from what I've heard, it sounded terrible."

"Y-You're joking right?"

Mellissa glared at him. "No I'm not, the things that happened there, you really have no idea how long my kind have been persecuted. That's why it's so hard to trust you or any other humans, I…we've…been through so much."

"This is insane, I don't know whether to believe it or not but she's seems so certain. He finally spoke up to the girl, trying to bring rationality into the conversation. "You'll have to understand that what you're saying is pretty deep Mellissa. My uncle-in-law, Ishori, was also from Japan and he's never spoken of anything like that." Getting irked at him, Mellissa threw the rock up higher with her vector, several meters and stood ready to catch it as she spoke.

"I don't think a lot of people know about it, somewhere in Japan, there's some man who runs these facilities. I can't remember his name, started with a 'K' I believe. Kork…Kak…sorry I can't recall at all."

"That's some serious stuff she's sprouting at me. Of course I can't just believe her on the spot, not until we get some proof. But the girl has been through a lot, it would be wise to tell Garder about it. I should also speak to Veronica and…" He stopped thinking, realizing another key factor. Jessica, Ishori and their baby daughter were also in Japan. "I need to contact them as well, I don't want to worry them but I do want them to be safe.

While Mellissa waited for an answer of some sort, she became keenly aware of something. The rock she had been nonchalantly chucking into the air had yet land back into her vector hand. Confused, she finally gazed above her to see if the rock had gotten stuck somewhere on the cliff. Nicholas, about to answer, saw the stare of absolute horror on Mellissa's face. Something beyond fear or pitifulness, her face pale and the sweat dripping down her face to caress her cheeks. Finally looking up himself, Nicholas managed to take the situation far better, but even that didn't negate the seriousness of it.

Holding the rock steady in his palm, The Twisted Relic spoke while sneering devilishly down from the small cliff at them.

"Look what we have here? You are that girl's boyfriend, Nicholas Vega and even young Mellissa-chan too. What a splendid surprise, to meet you two out here. Tell me, have you awakened from your silly little dreams yet?"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: With exams out of the way, I can now get new chapters done far quicker than before. Our story contnues as Veronica finally gives birth to her daughter Ilya. Nicholas, for the first time hears about things that are happening in Japan, though of course is uncertain in believing them, but things get much worse, when a certain man appears before him and Mellissa. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Zero?"<br>R&R


	16. The Day Of Weeping

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 16: The Day Of Weeping**

If Nicholas had pulled his gun out right then, left no hesitation and fired straight at the head, he may just have saved millions both now and in the future. But the sudden appearance of the man they had been searching for almost a year had caught him completely off guard and a sudden sense of protection for Mellissa denied that golden opportunity. Nevertheless he had already pulled his gun out, keeping it steady at his side while cursing his own foolishness. Vladimir's face was rather clean for a man who hadn't been back home in a couple of months, though of course there was no need to say he hadn't gone into other homes, though unless he managed to keep his tracks hidden, they would have at least found him. His hair, which would have been unnaturally long at this time, had been cut so that his bangs barely obscured his twisted crimson eyes and the back, though unseen by the two, was cut cleanly short. Around his body, the onyx coat swayed gently, one of the sleeves limp as he decided to keep one of his arms out of it. Then of course, the most impressive and dark attribute, the rods that poked through his neck and left shoulder.

"You are the boy, Nicholas right?" He asked calmly, little malice in his voice, but not enough to fool Nicholas. Whereas Mellissa was frightened, memories of pain, agony and torture flooding her poor mind, Nicholas remained calm, collected and answered with a straight voice. "Aye, I am Vladimir Cents."

The dark man clapped his hands. "Oh ho? You know my name as well too?"

"Of course…" Vega's reply was stern, adding no other comments to it. His hand was still gripping his gun, ready to pull it up, to fire a single shot and kill this man here and now. But he was hesitant, because he was far too careful. This man had somehow, in some way, managed to murder not only Caston, another great person, but his entire team as well. Even more so, he had somehow managed to kill tens of thousands of people in the one city in Spain, leaving not a trace behind. With the way things were going, learning about Diclonius, vectors and Queens, he just wouldn't allow himself to act irrationally.

"I won't let him hurt you Mellissa…"

If she wasn't there, maybe he wouldn't hesitate, he watched his movements, expecting the unexpected.

"Tell me boy, where have you been all this time? And how's your little girlfriend Veronica-chan doing?"

To his dismay, Mellissa spoke up. "She's been busy giving birth to her child you monster, it has nothing to do with you!" She might have meant good, but Nicholas truly wished she hadn't said anything. Vladimir who had before smiled his gleeful smirk, suddenly paused, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. It was strange to see such an expression of astonishment on him before he answered back. "Did I hear…that correctly? That girl…has given…birth?"

"…Yes, she gave birth to my child a couple of days ago." No point in denying it, but he sure as hell wasn't going to give any more information. Vladimir however just looked at him, a small smile creeping over him. "Ha…Ha….Haha…y-you're joking right? That woman, she actually gave birth? This is…you people.." He burst out, never before had he laughed so hard and so jovially in his entirely life. His wicked guffawing echoed loudly, going as far as to send a few birds into the sky. He laughed, louder and louder until he actually doubled over, holding one hand to his gut and wiping the tears from his eyes.

"…Kyahaha…ha…hahahaha! Oh…this is…splendid. Even after months of killing, of tearing your people apart, some of you never cease to amaze me. Not only do I get to see another Diclonius, from another continent come here, I now know that she is a Queen herself." Nicholas uttered back at him. "Yes, I knew that, it was something Mellissa told us too. I don't see what the big deal though is."

"You take things too easily boy, your girlfriend is special…so special in fact, that I may enjoy watching her die more than ever."

Years of being a soldier, to keep calm in tough situations was the only thing that kept Nicholas from lashing out and attacking the bastard for daring to make such a threat about his woman. The same could not be said for Mellissa, who upon hear such a blasphemous statement, cried back at him. "How dare you say such a thing about Veronica! You should…"

"Mellissa…please shut it." She had never heard him speak to her like that. This was the first time, she had ever seen the soldier side of Nicholas, and the side that abandoned all forms of glee or silliness and was replaced the cold collectiveness. His words, were not ones that were threatening, but ones that told her that she needed to seriously calm down right now. Placing a finger on her lips, she very slowly made her way back over to Nicholas, making sure her crimson gaze never left that bastard. She was afraid, more afraid than she had ever been before, but the very thought of this man, and all the things he had done to her, going and hurting Veronica and her child was something she would never tolerate.

She was breathing too heavily, and Nicholas remained so calm in this situation, there was barely even a drop of sweat on his face. His hand still gripped his gun and she wanted to scream at him to fire at him, that her vectors were too short to reach from that height. "Why won't he fire at him, he can shoot him now?" She didn't understand the basis of warfare, Nicholas logically should shoot right now, because with such an open space, at such a distance, it would not appear that Vladimir would be able to stop it normally. But that was just the thing, Vladimir wasn't normal. Even if they didn't know how, a man who the ability to create this war through sheer determination and kill hundreds of thousands of people, was somebody that irrational actions could be taken.

"Heh!" Grinning soullessly at him, Vladimir casually pulled and chucked one of his rods at Nicholas, the spear like weapon passing by his shoulders landing behind Nicholas's back. Only now did he display any sort of apprehension on his face, he raised his gun, aiming but still not firing yet. "Nicholas…shoot him…please…" She wanted him to shoot him, kill this monster that made her life a living hell.

"I have to take…precautions…" He uttered softly, his breath husky and chest heaving.

Precautions? He needed to shoot him now. "Shoot him…please….shoot him…I don't…I don't want to die…" That's right, she was so scared right now, scared to be tortured, scared to die, just looking at him made her shiver from head to toe. Maybe he actually didn't care for Veronica at all. Maybe this just a ploy to get The Queen killed. No, that was wrong, he loved her, but why wouldn't he shoot.

"JUST DIE YOU BASTARD!"

"MELLISSA, NO!" Unable to stop her, she rushed over, pushing Nicholas out the way, Mellissa firmly grasped his pistol and raised it up. She had never held a gun before, she had never pulled a trigger, but she knew enough, that if she pulled it, if she heard the shot fire, he would die. That bastard had to die, fall to the ground in a puddle of blood. As the run whipped around upon Vladimir's face, his expression amusedly curious, Mellissa started to pull the trigger.

"Detonate!'

*BOOM!*

Screams, something pushed her before the explosion while her body tumbled uncontrollably across the ground. The rod that was behind them had violently blown sending small pieces of shrapnel into her back but compare to Nicholas, she had gotten off rather lightly. Sensing the danger, Nicholas had pushed her aside, taking the majority of the explosion that sent his body soaring 3 meters into the air and crashing painfully onto his back. His entire face was blistered, one eye forced closed and his shirt ripped, but the most grievous wound was his left arm that was held by a few sinews of flesh, bone and nerves.

"Aaagh! Aaarrgh! Guh! Mellissa…get out…now!"

That human had saved her! That human had saved her!

"YOU BASTARD!" He was human, nothing more than a human, and yet he had saved her. Entire rage, no, something beyond range, something she had never felt in her life. All she knew was that she wanted to kill Vladimir Cents more than any other person in the entire world. Maybe she wasn't aware of it herself, blinded by an irresistible urge to slaughter, as if a small voice was constantly screaming, "MURDER!" to exemplify her pure hatred. In a stride of a few steps, Vladimir felt the blow to his face, knocking him right off of his feet and off the small cliff side, his body painfully sliding down. He barely had time to raise his head before…

*CRACK!*

Was that his bones, shattering underneath the force of her vectors, his back pressing into the rocky formation before the second hand zoomed forth, slamming painfully into his jaw? He felt dizzy, the blood flowing from his mouth, the iron taste slipping from cheeks to drop like red raindrops to the ground. The world was fuzzy, shaking and unable to see correctly, but just by standing there, he earned the wrath of the Siplilet whose cries of horrible disgust never left his ears.

"YOU ARE UNFORGIVABLE!" That man, Nicholas was only a human and yet he had saved her and she had always felt contempt for him. Bashing her hands against his face, his blood spewing in sprays of red before the man finally fell to his hands and knees, choking, spluttering, eyes wide with surprise.

"Gaaaah! Ugah! Kuh…It hurts…"

"It fucking better hurt…" She was glad it was hurting him, he needed to be hurt, for hurting Nicholas and for hurting her.

"Aaagh! My vision is blurry…my bones are cracked…my blood is seeping from every wound. It hurts…it hurts…it hurts…" As if struggling, Vladimir tried to pick himself back up, choking on both blood and vomit and collapsing back to all fours. "My nerves are on fire…it hurts…it hurts! My flesh is melting!"

"Then just die already!" Mellissa said angrily, sweat dripping profusely from her small body. "Just roll over and die already!"

He gazed at her, his eyes almost pleading, reaching behind his back, his bones cracking as he did so and pulled out one of his rods. She kept her guard up, but her confidence had never been higher than before. No longer would she be scared of this man, his tortures, his heinous acts, all of them would be paid for.

"D-Die? Why? D-Die right now? I can't…not now…THIS SUFFERING IS FAR TOO PERFECT!" The flash of the craziest grins, he legs pushed himself off, ignoring the pain, he rushed madly at the Sipilet who found herself caught off guard by the sudden urge of Vladimir's determination. Getting her focus back together, she saw the rod twisted, changing shape and come forth as a stab to her chest. Using her vector to stop it, she was instead blown off her feet by the explosion of blue light that sent her body sliding several meters across the ground.

"Aaaagh! Wh-What was that!" Of course she was surprised, and as she glared back at the man, she saw what his weapon was. His black rod was now in the same of a twin sided spear, his hand gripping the middle part of the handle. One blade was pitched black, darker than the darkest of nights and yet somehow gleaming brightly even in the sunlight. The other half, was ruby red blade, glistening even more brightly and the part of the spear that was currently smoking from hitting her vectors.

"Since when did you get so exciting Mellissa?" Vladimir asked rhetorically raising his twin sided spear and smiling. "Behold, Azıklı Voyvoda, my most treasured of weapons. Don't let your guard down now girl, you have become most interesting, do not let me release my treasures so lightly now." He swung forth, not seeming to target any part of her body, but merely throwing his weapon into a wide arch so that the black tipped black would come to her body. Instead of defending, she decided to attack offensively as well so that both blade and hands met in a brutal struggle of domination. Unfortunately for Mellissa, her vectors could not stand up to the greatest treasure of Vladimir Cents and the explosion that rocked the world was the one that sent flying back again, only stopping herself with her vectors.

"This is…" Impossible? Disgusting? Wrong? Whatever she though, whatever crazy antics that made Vladimir like he was something that could not be thought of right now, even thoughts could not be finished for Cents was already on her, red spears high in the air. Resounding crash of wind and fire, the poor girl wasn't sure how much longer she was going to hold up to his overwhelming amount of power. "If Veronica was here, The Queen…I bet she could take this bastard on!" She wasn't speaking as if being truthful, she just said it to make herself believe that even if she couldn't be Vladimir, then somebody else could.

Blonde hair and onyx coat swaying in the violent winds, Vlad took his stance, spear aloft while crimson eyes practically begged his foe to give everything she had, to tear, rip and ultimately kill him. This was the world he lived for, a constant stream of agonizing pains, blood gurgling down his throat. For all sakes and purposes, this battle…could not stop. "Not enough…" He was whispering to himself, barely aware of it himself. "This isn't enough Mellissa…until one of us falls down, this must continue…right? Are you going…"

!

Even Vladimir was amazed, though perhaps not as much as Mellissa who stood absolutely flabbergasted when Nicholas swung from behind and wrapped his good arm around Vlad's neck, holding him tightly and blocking off his air supply. He may have had a good size difference, but Nicholas' military skills and already decent strength was enough to put Vlad at a slight disadvantage. "MELLISSA…GUH…TAKE HIM OUT NOW!" His gun, blown away by the force of Vlad's detonating rod had not even crossed Nicholas' mind, he was too concerned with protecting Mellissa. The young Diclonius didn't need to be told twice, her hands were about to stab right through his head, when the unexpected happened. Who would know that Vladimir was chaotic enough to take his own spear, turn it around and pierce his own gut so that it slid into Nicholas' own? "Guah!" Unable to keep his grip, both from pain and shock, Nicholas stumbled backwards just as Vladimir turned around, spear raised aloft and swung out in a horizontal arc.

*SLASH!*

Blood splattered his face just as Mellissa's fist crashed into as well, breaking him off balance and reducing what would have been decapitation for the young man to merely having his left eye slashed open, blinding him partially. But could he really be said to be safe? His useless arm was dangling from sinews, his gut had a hole in it and his left eye was now useless. Nicholas couldn't even stand straight anymore, only attempt keep himself from falling into unconsciousness…or worse. With one out the way, Vladimir only had to deal with the girl and soon found himself again on the receiving end of flurry of attacks in which only his inhuman body kept him from being torn to shreds. She didn't know why he wasn't dying, he didn't know why her vectors weren't tearing him to shreds, even though she was the one who granted him this endurance. But she did know, that if Nicholas died, Veronica would be so unhappy, so miserable…so…"

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Regardless of everything, she had to stop him, regardless of her own life, she had to slaughter Vladimir Cents. More, more and more, longer, faster, her vectors lashed out as he spun on his feet in a dance of death, blocking her vectors with the grace of true spearman. She no longer cared that it was impossible for him to do this, logically at least, but right now, at that moment, if he started to regenerate his own head she wouldn't care anymore. "I have to protect Nicholas, I have to save him, I have to beat Cents!" She had to win, she had to kill him, she had to…

"Hooragh!" Pain, not from Vladimir but something from her own internal body caused to cough up blood and phlegm, unable to keep her vectors out, she fell to her knees and grasped her gut, fresh tears falling down her cheeks. "Aaagh…wh-What happened?" Vladimir, his body a bloody mess, yet standing tall and wicked placed his hand on his neck, sighing at the crack. The hole in his gut was something that he didn't even look at, as if there wasn't one there. "What do we have here Mellissa-chan, has the entropy in your body finally hit the high note?"

"Haa…Haa…Haa…What are you…t-talking about? E-Entropy?"

"Aye my dear, you see, Diclonius do not have infinite powers. Your vectors, length and strength for everyone have a distinctive measure. You've finally hit that mark but you know, you weren't too bad. I'd hazard a guess around eh…23 vectors…maybe 7 meters in length and quite strong…but I think you know where this is going to end now."

His fingers gripped and then before him small rods appeared between his fingers holding them steady as Mellissa hacked on her own pain. She couldn't keep it up anymore, any more vectors that came out where even weaker than they would have been before she went into her frenzied state of mind and power. The only thing she could do, was stare death in the face, with just a little bit of dignity. Even if she blocked the rods, she already knew he could make them explode, so as much as she wanted to keep trying, her body was just not letting her move.

"It's been fun Mellissa-chan, and you know what…I just had a wonderful idea. I'm heading home again and I'll be taking the boy with me."

"Huh? N-No!" She had to stop him from taking Nicholas, who had now finally succumbed to his wounds, unable to stay awake any longer. Vladimir threw the man over his shoulders, groaning slightly. "Heavy one, I wonder how Veronica will take the news that her fiancé was taken…should be interesting. Now Mellissa, you'd better get some help…who knows how long he'll last."

"No! Wait! Please stop! Gah! Ow! Please stop! Stop!"

* * *

><p>"MELLISSA!" Still in bed, Veronica was easily horrified when the young Sipilet crawled into the room. The poor girl had crawled, all the way back to Veronica, tears plastering her face. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"<p>

"Mellissa! What happened to you! Where is Nicholas!"

"Hnnnn…I-I'm sorry…I'm s-so sorry…"

"Mellissa…it's alright, just tell me what happened."

But it wasn't alright, not one bit.

"I couldn't…I was…he was…I tried to…oh god! He saved me…he helped me…I'm sorry…I'm sorry. He was…I was…Vladimir was…"

She paused, hearing that name, her skin turned ice cold. "Mellissa…" Veronica uttered icily yet fearfully. "What happened?" Mellissa was afraid that Veronica was going to punish her so her voice cracked with her words. "I was…I was…we were…oh god…oh god…he…oh god…I'm s-sorry!"

"What happened to Nicholas, Mellissa!"

She cried, burying her face into her hands, she cried softly, whimpering and afraid. "I'm sorry…He was…oh god….Vlad has him…I tried…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry! I couldn't…help me…help me…I'm sorry…

…I'm sorry…

…I'm…s-sorry…"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another day another chapter and our story starts hitting the high point. Mellissa bravely fought against Vladimir along with Nicholas but it was all for naught, as Vlad has finally taken Nicholas captive to incite Veronica's wrath. Though they now have a better idea of where Vladimir is located, it is up to Mellissa to truly find him. The war is reaching its climax soon, what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	17. Utter Devotion To Determination

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 17: Utter Devotion To Determination**

"What are you…talking about?" Oh she had heard her, clear as day and she didn't need to hear it again. But those words, the very thing that Mellissa had spoken had brought a chill down Veronica's spine that was colder than even most freezing of ices. Without realizing it, she found herself gazing upon the bundle in her lap, Ilya asleep and a devoid of the horrors that were going on in her life. She had heard correctly, her teeth ground sharply and Mellissa for a moment, feared retribution. That man, as human as he might be, had not only saved her, but he was also her lover. She wanted to beg, to fall to her knees and exclaim again how sorry she was. She should have stopped him, saved Nicholas, killed Vladimir and instead, she just came back with wounds and terrible news.

Still terrified, Veronica did manage to press the button alongside her bed so that the doctors could finally come in. Though her body had healed up surprisingly fast after the birth, something Mellissa had again attested for her being a Diclonius, she had felt an almost unnatural need to be with child that went even beyond normal parenting. Although she didn't do it, Mellissa was right in the regard that Veronica would be angry with her. In fact, in a split second, her eyes had flashed dangerously, her hand raised, and thoughts of betrayal had come to her thoughts. Attacking Mellissa out of sheer despair was very well on her mind, until she finally caught herself. When the doctors finally came in, they saw the problem right away.

"My goodness dear, what happened!" The doctor exclaimed, shocked at Mellissa's physical body and trying to tend with it.

"Get her into a bed, please…"

"What? No, you need…"

"You need to rest…now." It was an order and though Veronica never intended for her to see her as such, at that moment of Veronica's words, Mellissa truly saw her as The Queen she had to obey. How badly she wanted to go searching for Nicholas, find him, save him, kill that bastard, it ate her heart and soul. But unlike Mellissa, Nicholas was a trained soldier who could handle himself alone, even though she dreaded what Vladimir would do to him, what he had already done to him. But Mellissa was here, wounded, crying, right now, it was her that needed attention.

The poor child stopped struggling but gazed timidly at Veronica. "We need to help Nicholas! I can…ugh…I can…gah…I…" Between painful gasps and tears, Mellissa dropped to her knees and just broke into sobs again, feeling so weak that if Veronica had struck her down, she wouldn't have stopped her in the least. Awakened by her mother's movements, Ilya opened her red eyes wide, curious at what was going on. Vladimir was now close by, far too close, the first thing she needed to do was contact her father and tell him and the others to get here as soon as possible. Mellissa, as usual, was the only person who had an idea where Vladimir was at now. She planned once Mellissa was ready to move again, something that she could only hope was sooner than later, to follow the Sipilet and find the self-serving bastard and kill him once and for all. Hopefully during that time, her father and the others would meet up with her along the way.

"Vladimir Cents…" Growling the name under her breath, she picked herself up out of bed, night gown still on and her baby cradled in her arms. "Watch Ilya, I have to speak to my father, alone." The doctor nodded, expertly holding the baby who cried when leaving her mother's arms before going out into the hallway with her specialized radio. Not only was Cents apparently close by, but her father wasn't nearly as far away from her either. It would take them less than a week by foot to reach her, maybe even less if Vlad was going in the same direction too. This was their chance, perhaps their final chance.

"Father!" She called out loudly after the second buzz.

"Veronica, it's been quite a while, I thought I told you and Nicholas to return back once that child was born and you were aptly healthy enough to return to battle."

He was right, she was supposed to return as soon as possible but now would be the case.

"Father…" It was hard trying to keep calm, she never stuttered but she constantly swallowed and had to take several breaths between each sentence. "Vladimir Cents took Nicholas. I don't know what happened exactly, Mellissa was with him and…just get the hell down here now!" Unable to help herself, she screamed at the radio as if doing so would somehow bring Garder down faster. If her father was here, he could solve all of her problems. He had always been there for her, always watching, always supportive, always doing what was right for her. If he was here, Vladimir Cents wouldn't even be problem. "Please come now…I can't wait any longer. Once Mellissa gets better, I'm going to follower her, I'll keep in touch with you so you can meet up with us.

…Please father…I don't want him to die…"

"Understood, we will be there as soon as we can, keep calm Veronica Q. Morotisan, this the time where you must keep a steady head on your shoulders." Those words, comforting, powerful and stoic, the words of her father who she admired so much. He was right, now as the time to keep her thoughts steady and sharp. "Yes, thank you…father…" Before hanging up, she couldn't help but mutter softly. "I love you father."

"I know…I love you to Veronica, keep in touch."

Heading back into the room, Ilya had finally stopped crying, although that was until Veronica came back then roused herself back up again. Thanking the doctor for his support, she took her child and held her tightly. "Where did they take Mellissa?"

"Fourth room to the right."

"Alright, listen, I and Mellissa have got to go somewhere whenever she's ready. I don't know how long I'll be, I don't know how far I'll go. I need you to promise me that you will watch Ilya until I get back."

"There is no need for you to worry Veronica, we we're given strict orders by Garder himself that once you gave birth and you had to return to duty, we were to watch your baby."

That was good, it made her at least little bit less anxious and besides, the last thing she needed was Vladimir anywhere near her child. Still holding on to her baby though, Veronica left to see Mellissa. Going into the room, either the doctors were over preparing for something, or the Sipilet had underestimated her own wounds. The poor child had several tubes sticking into her arms and even her gut. A machine pumping blood wildly into her body and other assortments of medical chemicals that Veronica could only guess of what they were. Even assuming broken bones, Mellissa's outer features didn't look like they would need such extensive medical treatment.

Asleep, or perhaps even knocked out, there was little point in talking to her right now. "What happened to her?" She asked the nurse who was currently wiping a soft rag over the child's forehead, the amount of sweat made Veronica think of a very high temperature. "Along with some severe external wounds, Mellissa has gone through extensive injuries on her internal organs. Though luckily nothing too severe, the machine found small lacerations across her intestines, liver and other organs."

"Lacerations?"

"Yes, several cuts across in the inside of her body, but here's the strange thing." There's no entree wound from any part of the body towards the laceration." Veronica sort of understood but it only made her more curious. "It's not like some of her outer wounds that were caused by some sort of weapon, a spear if I had to guess, those wounds on her organs, there's no sign of anything piercing her external body and touching them. The only thing I can think of is, those wounds happened inside her body."

Veronica starred at her, stunned into silence. "Was there perhaps any kind of chemicals, or maybe acids that you may have found?" She asked. The nurse shook her head sadly, or perhaps disappointedly, that she could not explain the phenomenon. "I apologize Veronica, but nothing at all was found. We have no why those lacerations are on her body but, if they had gotten any worse, she might very well have died." Mellissa had gone through a lot for her and the others, now watching her, breathing shallows gasps of air while her lips quivered, Veronica sighed deeply into her hand, gripping the skin of her face tightly and glaring out from the fingers of her right hand. "You will pay for this…Vladimir Cents…"

"Huh! That monster was here?" Crying out, the nurse looked awfully frightened.

"Apparently Mellissa and my fiancé, Nicholas, ran into him and that monster took him away. My father and the others are coming to help me track and kill him." But if Vladimir had not caused the lacerations inside Mellissa's body, then what had caused them. What could suddenly cause organs to rupture without any sign of physical force outside of the body, or some sort of chemical that rip the organs up? Vladimir may be a monster, but he was still human and humans didn't have the power to make organs spontaneously rip apart, not without some sort of added effect. Sensing her mother's angst, Ilya began weeping tenderly.

"It's alright Ilya, don't cry." Feeling that staying in the room would only incite her anger and Ilya's discomfort, the young woman left the room, only hoping that Mellissa would get soon very quickly. Back outside in the hallways, Ilya did indeed calm down, her tiny head resting gently against her mother's body, it was enough to at least calm the aching woman's nerves and let her back to her room. "We'll save him Ilya, will make Vlad pay for what he did to your father. Come, my sweet baby, sleep soundly in my arms."

* * *

><p>Garder trekked without faltering through the landscape, keeping his displeasure of having to comb the entire continent of Europe just to find one man and then come back all the other way. If it hadn't been made obvious before, it definitely had become now. Vladimir was screwing with them, from the very start of this war, the man had everything on the palm of his hand, he knew where they were, he knew what they did, and everything had been amazingly planned out. Was it possible for somebody who had refused to underestimate somebody, somehow underestimate the enemy even more? Vorono took the end, his usual pacifist face now set into a hardened stare, his face matching his intimidating look. The very same thought crossed him as well. They had never been winning this war, they had just been dying, again and again as Vladimir watched from wherever he was at, laughing at their foolishness.<p>

In war, people die, every day, the guilty and the innocent. Different views, different lifestyles, different array of thoughts, just one is enough to set another off. Kill to gain, kill to defend, constantly murdering for the sake good and evil. Therefore, he promises, no swear, no…desires…to kill that man. His weapons, his skills, his years as a war veteran, from soldier to General will now be put to the ultimate test. He, Garder F. Morotisan, will kill that man.

*Beep*

Other times he might have been stunned to hear Vladimir's voice over his radio. He already knew that Vladimir had captured Nicholas, if he hadn't taken his radio, he could have easily have taken Caston's or one of his fallen men's radio as well. In fact, even if none of that was the case, Garder probably still wouldn't have batted an eye when hearing that man's voice. He answered gruffly, no need to make his tone light, he knew instinctively who it was the moment he heard the buzz against his ear. "What do you want, Vladimir Cents?"

"Oh ho! You already knew it was me? You're very good General, you have my congratulations."

"Shut it Cents, if you're here to yap about Nicholas, I already know what happened."

More snickering from the other side Garder's expression darkened but remained relatively passive. "You even know about that. Are you reading my mind Garder? Well I guess there's no use trying to hide it anymore. So tell me, what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to kill you, save him."

There was no laughter, but a distinct "Ha!" from Vladimir's end before the Twisted Relic answered again. "Kill me? What a conceited idea, I can't be killed by dreamers. Somebody Garder, you're going to have to wake up from your silly little dreams. Now say it again."

"I am going to kill you, Vladimir Cents."

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Ha! Ha! Ha! How quaint, you keep saying it, and yet you aren't the only one who has constantly said they will kill me. I've heard it before, thousands of times and it's always ended up the same, just a dream of a man who couldn't go forward. I've murdered your friends, your comrades, all of them will never return. I give you credit for continuing right now, but remember this, dreams never last forever. Somebody, sometime in the future, you will eventually have to wake up."

"Dreams? I have no intentions of dreaming right now. I will kill you, end of story."

"Ha! Very well then, dreaming soldier, then allow me to offer you one more question. In the sake of killing me, just how far will you go?"

"…As far as I must."

*Bzt*

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

Just as the radio ended, the gun fire started out. "Get behind cover now!" Garder roared, ducking behind the tree and pulling out his rifle, loading the bullet and keeping his breath steady. He heard Vorono giving a similar order before all but the moans of the wounded were heard throughout the forest. Vladimir had a group of his men already here, more likely before Nicholas was even captured. Keeping his thoughts steady, Garder did not move from his spot, but kept his eyes closed and his keen ears opened. Not to make too much of a sound, he gave a soft order from his radio to Vorono. "Captain Girikuson, until we know the exact whereabouts of the enemy, trying to go onto the offensive is going to be suicide."

"Of course sir, what do you want to do?" The Captain whispered back, his heart beating fast.

"Someone needs to get them to draw fire again, I can get an approximate position of their location if here them firing again."

"Got it sir, I'm going to open fire, you already know my location, just listen to anywhere else for returning fire."

Garder acknowledged his reply, eyes still closed, he listened intently, blocking out all unnecessary sounds. The flow of air, the ragged breathing of wounded and shocked, the sound of the world going dark. He had a small idea of where the enemy was at, but once he heard the shots, he would know perfectly where they were all at. Once he did though, he would have to go on the offensive. The first shot was heard, a single bullet let Garder know the location of Vorono, but he didn't hear any other gun shots. Vorono released some more shots in several locations until last.

*BANG!*

*BANG!*

*BANG!*

*BANG!*

More than four shots rang out, but the four he heard allowed him to pinpoint the locations of four men. He could not wait, opening his eyes in a flash, he side stepped and held his assault rifle up. One was in sight, the others most likely where hidden behind trees and he took aim immediately on the one who was in his vision. He fell without making a sound, a bullet to the head before Garder swerved behind the next tree. "Northward, follow my directions and keep a heavy assault on the enemy. Vorono, I'll take the front, provide back up to the left flank!"

"Aye sir!"

This time the entire world erupted in location, the only orders he gave now were small direct ones, everything else would be decided on skill and fate.

"Ugah!"

"Aaaagh!"

"Shit! I'm hurt!"

This was war, a battle of wills, of tactics of firepower. The weak die and the strong survive, that is what it has always been about. But for Garder, this is not what it is going to be about. He fought in wars, to ascertain peace amongst everyone. Vladimir threatened that peace, his will had to die along with the man himself.

643 shells littered the forest floor and more followed shortly and Vorono finally put one of his wounded men against the tree, adding some ointment while they fought viciously against each other. "Captain, watch out!" Unable to respond in time, Vorono only felt himself being pushed down before something whizzed past his head. The once pacifist turned, cocked his pistol and fired a single killing blow directly into the cranium of his would be killer. The man who fell looked so different than he had expected, like all the rest. "Thanks, I owe you…ah!" His gratitude fell on deaf ears as the soldier who saved his life lay slumped over, a bullet in the brain.

"Kuh! Rest easy soldier, you've earned it."

As the fight continued, Garder was suddenly struck from behind, an unexpected attack in which he was so concerned with facing the general direction of the attackers then, he had failed to watch his own back. Five bullets obliterated his flesh, forcing his body to scrape against the tree until he heard and then saw the guns coking around him. Vorono cursed as did the surviving men but it was far too late now. The General was cornered, wounded again and the laughing voice of Vladimir only made things worse. How many blasted cameras did that man have?

"Hey there, dreamer." Vladimir said from the scree, finding glee in watching the soldier hold his wounded arm that was torn up and bent at a terrible angle. He didn't reply back, just starred coldly at Vlad's wicked face who found the sight of Garder bleeding both enjoyable and somewhat ironic. "You were going to kill me! Ha! Let me here it again Garder F. Morotisan, tell me, what will you do to me! COME ON THEN, I WANT TO HEAR IT!' He was enjoying it far too much, looking at the fallen General as more guns cocked, more than had been firing before. It was only now that Garder realized how outmanned they all were. Vladimir gave a single order and more of Garder's men died, the only thing stopping them was the fact that attacking would get their leader killed as well. "You have some brave men Garder, look how they die for you! Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Come on Garder, show me the resilience of the greatest soldier and General South America has to offer! Come on, fight back, you can't can you!"

*SNAP!*

Flashing his eyes wide, the twist of his arm by one of the men sent a loud crack into the air. "Agh…" He couldn't help but moan, and Vorono hissed under his breath.

"Hurts doesn't it old man, where was that thing about killing me again! Look around you Morotisan, this is the world I live in, a world of pain, agony and destruction. This is the world I plan on creating for everybody, relish it, my desires will never be stopped."

"Garder!" Both Vorono and his men roared at him, watching the elderly man get pummeled relentlessly while the others circled around, and keeping Garder's allies from helping him out. To get in this mess, to allow somebody to get behind him, Garder had to curse his bad luck. A minute later, they finally sopped, leaving the 56 year old man to lean against the tree again while blood ran down his face.

"Do you understand now Garder, just how great my desires are? I refuse to lose, to sit down, and to die. Maybe now you realize how foolish your fight has always been. Always noticed, just harsh the world truly is. You are nothing more, than a poor, disgraceful old man who tries to latch himself onto the ideals of good and justice. The world isn't so simple, watching you, is almost boring now. I've proven my point, watching you suffer, surprisingly, has gotten a bit boring. Quite honestly, I had expected a bit more out of you.

You…" Vladimir whispered from the screen. "..Are disappoint…"

*TEAR!*

Garder, in one movement through his hand into the closest man's throat, his fingers tearing into flesh then ripping out so that a fountain of blood followed after. He didn't bother looking at Vladimir's suddenly shaken expression. He kept his body low on the ground and tripped the first person who held his gun, grabbed it while the man was still in midair and shot him in the head before he even hit the ground. Just as the weapons were being drawn, a loud, familiar voice called out. "Garder, get on our knees!" Vorono roared, swinging something heavy, far too heavy for an normal man to be swinging. Garder did not let his mind linger, even though it should've been impossible the thing that went passed his head. Garder brought his gun out and fired on those who had managed to dodge the large spruce that Vorono had swung and then fell victim to his bullets.

"Everyone, get behind me and give me some back up!" Vorono ordered more strictly than ever, he'd have to start explaining this one too, but now was not the time, they had finally taken a lead, started to push the enemy back until.

"Retreat! Fall back!" Surrendering, the members of Cents' army made a hasty get away, disappearing far away though to return someday soon. Vladimir stood there on the screen, his face still etched in shock and awe while Garder stepped over, taking his broken arm and cracking it back into place, flexing his body fingers. He firstly looked at the tree, remembering that Vorono had been given two special serums and then turned his darkened black slit eyes towards the screen. "Do you understand now, Vladimir Cents…I am going to kill you. I will stop at nothing to stop you and your ilk from destroying the peace that surrounds this world. Until I cease to breathe, until I no longer exist, until I at long last die, I will never give up. If I have to search for you to the ends of the earth, I will do so.

If my blood seeps onto the floor, I will staunch the wound.

If my bones are broken a thousand times, then I will set them straight.

If my nerves are cut, then I will wrap the pain in a cloth and throw it away with the rest of my worries.

I will never surrender, nor give up in the aspect of killing you, because yours is a life not worth living. Keep throwing your men at me, all of them, every last one and even if I am the last person standing, I will continue to fight. Do you understand Vladimir Cents, no matter what happens, no matter how far things go, I am determined above all else…in following through with my orders."

His gun clicked, and pointed at the screen. "I suspect we'll be meeting much sooner now. I'm going to give you this offer now, tell me where you and Nicholas are, it'll be easier for me to come there now and kill you. Hm, no answer I see…then…"

*BANG!*

The screen shattered and, almost as if nothing had happened, Garder ordered his men to treat the wounded.

* * *

><p>He stood there, eyes wide, Nicholas unconscious a few meters away and a blank screen of static before him. Vladimir had never made a face like that before, it wasn't like the times he had been pleasantly surprised, for one of the first times, he was fully shocked, sweat pouring form his face as he just starred at the screen, remembering those strict, determined words from that old man. There hadn't been a single syllable of hesitation in Garder's voice. There hadn't been a quiver of the eyes, or a single regret in any word that he spoken. In the end, it was not he, Cents who got the last word, but that old man.<p>

"Finally…" He thought.

"…Finally…" In this dreaming world, people are too arrogant, ignorant and foolish to realize their own stupidity. Everyone dreams and dreams, never realizing that they need to wake up. Those idiots, who never live up to their desires.

"…Finally…I have found…"

Dreamers, too many dreamers…but not him…not anymore. Slowly, manically, the smile crept over Vladimir's face and his eyes lit with prideful happiness that he had never shown before.

"…Finally…I have found…someone worthy of being my rival. Ha…Hahaha…ha…ha. I finally found, a man…who has desires as great as my own. I finally found…somebody I can call rival, that I can fight against and be proud of. In this war of mine, fighting against dreamers…I finally found…my truest opponent. Ha…HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Laughter, joyful laughter, tears of splendid happiness flooded Vladimir's face as the man held his gut, laughing harder than he had ever laughed before. Because he was happier than he had ever been in his entire life. Here was a man, an elderly man, who point blank refused to give up. Despite his wounds, despite his men dying, despite everything, he had refused to give in an inch of his determination. For the first time, he found a man who did not share the same desires, but who shared the same determination to go forward.

"HA! HA! HAHAHA! HA! HA!" How could he not laugh so happily now?

"I finally found someone, who isn't trapped in the world of dreams anymore! I finally found an enemy, a great rival I can set my sight on! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! This is great, wonderful, splendid! COME ON THEN…GARDER F. MOROTISAN…I CALL YOUR BET! HA! HA! HA! HA! COME ON NOW, ROLL THE DICE AND SET YOUR MAKER!

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

**At long last…I have finally found an equal…"**

* * *

><p>"That was some interesting things you did there, Captain Girikuson." Garder, walking forward with his friend who nodded, sighing deeply, his eyes set to the sky above him. "Yes, I told you about it. I have one more serum for super endurance that was given to me, honestly I had really hoped to use both of them during the fight with Cents but, I couldn't let this go on any further."<p>

"You're a smart man Vorono, I trust your judgment. Things are going to end soon, I can right now. Vladimir Cents is no longer going to be running from us, I saw the look in his eyes, it was one of pure happiness."

Vorono gave his leader and friend a questioning look. "Happiness?"

"Whatever makes Vladimir tick, I don't know, but I did notice something before I broke the screen. He was happy, not the same chaotic madness that I usually see in his eyes, he seemed legitimately pleased for some reason. I also took notice of the location he was at, it didn't seem far too out of the ordinary but I can most likely recognize similar features of the location of we run into them.

Besides, I have a feeling that now, this is no longer a game of hide and seek, Vladimir Cents will…bring us to him."

But another thought did come to him. "Just what's going to happen, as we get there?"

* * *

><p>Mellissa popped out of bed the moment she woke up, scaring the nurse half to death and would have bolted out the door if the woman hadn't grabbed her and put her back into bed. Struggling, the Sipilet blurted angrily. "What the hell are you doing! I need to go with Veronica and help her find Nicholas!"<p>

"You need to stay in bed, you're badly hurt!" The nurse tried to explain.

"Ugh! I'm fine, where's Veronica?" Sure enough, who else but the young woman would appear in her room, looking stern. "What are you doing Mellissa, you need to rest until you're completely healed." Determined to prove that she was fine, she ordered the nurse to check her body, the nurse doing so and finding it surprising that despite a few extremely minor wounds, her body was in fact relatively healthy.

"That's amazing, your body was…" Not trying to be rude, but in a hurry, Mellissa pushed the woman out of the way, walking to Veronica. "While our bodies might be similar to humans, both of us have far better healing capabilities. It's why you were able to heal so fast after giving birth to Ilya." Veronica had to admit, Mellissa had a point there. Then again, ever since Mellissa had come into her life, she had become truly less human. Now days, Veronica stopped refusing to believe she wasn't a Diclonius, because it was pointless to deny it anymore. She should have realized it the moment she was able to use her powers that she was different. But even then, just because she wasn't human, didn't mean she didn't have to act like one.

But…how human was she? She may look human, minus her horns, but she was so different on the inside that she was surprised she had never noticed it before. Had she ever been hurt as a child? Had she ever been shot in warfare? She had, most certainly but she had never paid attention to her body to see things like hefty wounds healing up in a few days. Different from everyone else, her daughter Ilya was exactly the same. But she wouldn't let her daughter go through hardships like this, she would live a happy, prosperous life, make many friends and most of all, she would smile every day of her life.

"Nurse, Mellissa is right, I need to go with her. You will take care of my daughter right?"

"…Of course dear, we'll watch over her."

That was good, that just left Veronica with but one thing else to do. Entering back into her special room, she told the doctor the news and then went over to the special crib and picked her child up. Almost sensing her angst, the baby wrapped her tiny hands around her mother's face. Unable to stop her own tears, she whispered into her daughter's ears. "I have to go somewhere, my dear Ilya. I promise though, I'll be back, with your father and with Mellissa. So don't cry my little Ilya…don't cry…don't cry."

Four days later, Veronica and Mellissa met up with her father and the others. Veronica didn't bother guessing how many people had died before they got here, the only thing that mattered was that they were here. Mellissa saw Garder, ashamed in herself because she believed she was still partially to blame for Nicholas' capture. She had to make it up to him, this man she saw as her father.

"Mellissa, are you able to lead the way?"

"Yes." There was absolutely no hesitation in her voice. Mellissa answered Garder's query sternly, even immediately offering the way for them. They would find him; kill him, save Nicholas, that was a promise. If nobody else did it, then he, Garder Ferajhan Morotisan, would kill Vladimir Cents.

The end of the finish line, was coming in sight.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: With the end in sight, the final fight against Vladimir Cents is under way. But will happen now as our heroes journey forth into the final unknown. What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	18. Careening On The Edge Of Anguish

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 18: Careening On The Edge Of Anguish**

Riku was heading back out on business to the facility but this day, he wasn't heading to his own in Tokyo. He had received direction by Head Director Kakuzawa that the fourth Diclonius institution, commonly referred to as "Saseba" had gone through special constructions of vector based machines and he wanted Riku to go over there to see if it was even worth the business. It was bit astonishing that Kakuzawa didn't go over there himself, especially when words of useable vectors for humans started popping up. Kakuzawa had never been soft spoken on his belief of being a superior being; it was the very first thing he told the Directors when they arrived on the job. In truth, maybe Kakuzawa truly was busy and wanted another eye out on these things. The man might have been a monster, but he was at least an intelligent monster who knew how to run a business. Another good thing was the that he could now spend more time away from his facility, Number Zero and the rest of the Diclonius.

Those people, before everything was done in the hopes of benefitting his daughter Miriana and the world. He thought that by sacrificing the lives of others and his soul, he could at least benefit more of others around him. He had long been willing to sale his fate in the hopes of a better future for humanity and for Kusoku Miriana. Before, he never cared too much about the Diclonius because like most people, he at first didn't see them as real people

But now, there was so little gained that Riku was barely a shell of his former self. Even when he came home to his lovely wife and child and put on the charade of happiness, he felt so empty and discomforted on the inside. His wife may have noticed but probably just brushed it off as another hard day at work but Miriana could tell. His baby girl never smiled as much when he was around and whenever he picked her up, she would wrap her tender hands around his face as if to comfort him. Could she, a child just reaching a year's age, know more about his plight than anyone else?

"Greetings Director Kusoku."

A rather hefty sized man welcomed him inside as Riku drew his card up to show identification. Saseba was similar to all the other facilities though a certain room had been built to occupy the large amount of used and sometimes failed vector equipment. As he walked inside the room, he could help but see an incredibly elaborate blueprint on the wall. He half supposed somebody had gotten carried away with their artistic skill because he was taken aback by the sheer shape of the object on the blue print. It appeared to be some sort of strange oval shaped machine. Along the bottom right side of the blue prints, the words "Vector Craft: Abandoned until further notice", were sprawled out.

There were a lot of other things around the room too. Things that Riku could hazard a guess on what they did and some things that he was sure the producers had just gotten bored out of their minds one day and created whatever the hell they wanted. But what the man wanted to show him was a small box about ¾ of a meter wide and tall. One side of it had apparently caved in or, if Riku could best think of it, almost melted on the inside. It looked a lot like the other junk in the facility so why was it more important?

"This is our newest equipment, a device that will allow humans to utilize vectors!"

"You sound very proud in showing me a broken box." Riku said darkly, carefully prodding the thing with his finger. "But…you obviously wouldn't have called me out here just to show me a broken box, so do explain."

"Of course, as you know we at Saseba specialize in vector technology and specialization. This thing can attach to a person's body and function as another unit of that person. It connects to the cellular makeup of the person, allowing for them to freely move 4 or more vectors at the same time. But unfortunately it only lasts for about a minute and the range is, adequate at best. After a minute passes well you can kind of see the box itself. Not sure why but the entire thing seems to just…melt away. It's a shame; the technology used to build these things is high priced."

Riku looked at it, clearly an object that only lasted a minute and then broke down was something that even he wouldn't want to invest in and most certainly his corrupt boss wouldn't either. Then again, big things come in small packages and this item, while severely flawed, did have some promise to it. "You wouldn't happen to have another one that you can show me in a test would you? Right now I see nothing but junk and if you plan on winning me over with this, then I might as well just leave."

The other man sighed exasperatedly before smiling distastefully. "Wish you didn't say that, we've got one more but obviously we'd really like to keep it in tact since it's the only one we have left to go by. Still, I get your point, Ken!" he called out to one of the staff members above on the second floor. "Bring the prototype II down and give a test in front of Kuosku-san here!"

"The prototype II sir? Are you sure about that, it's the only one we have left."

"Yes, this is an order, bring it down now."

When the man returned he wore on his chest the same device as the one Riku had seen on the table, though obviously in much better condition. The man about to present the test was in his late 40s, blading at the top and sporting an average moustache. In held a small ball in one hand, one that a small child would play with. "So then, Director Kusoku, you won't mind if I give you just a short overview of what this trinket can do. It is the only one we have left and I'd really hate to start working on a new one considering it took 6 to make them."

Riku nodded complacently then placed his hands in his pockets to watch the action. "Alright, please stand back at least 2 meters Director Kusoku, the machines produces a small dome like shield made of vector energy in which the hands will emerge." Obeying his command, Riku stepped several meters back, a bit skeptical but also highly curious. When the man turned a switch on the machine, he couldn't see anything but he thought he heard something emerge, as if a rush of wind had suddenly wafted through the room from where the man stood. Though he knew vectors were invisible, at least when Diclonius used them, he couldn't help but squint his eyes to see if perhaps there was something in or around the man that was different.

Then, to his shock, the red ball that the man was once carrying started floating in the air. It served to the right, and then the left then made round and robust movements all around the man's body, spinning and even bounding around as if it to show that there were no wires or hidden gadgets around it. Noticing that the machine on his chest was becoming red around the edged, the man turned it off and the ball dropped lazily to the floor rolling to Riku's feet. As he picked it up, he could see the impressions of what appeared to be fingers that had tightly gripped it.

"So tell me Director, do you think this is a pleasing success?" The other director exclaimed proudly, taking the ball and casually throwing it into the air and catching it. "Think of the way this thing will change the world and the money that will be made. More importantly, dealing with Diclonius will be far easier now than it has ever been before." He certain seemed happy that his trinket had worked but Riku had some more questions. Indeed he was impressed with it but there were some things that he needed to know.

"How did you…create something like that?" He asked seriously.

The other director chuckled amusedly then went to explain. "Can't give a way too many details but the main dish is…here." Unscrewing part of the box, Riku felt like his stomach was going to turn. What was inside it, look a lot like a piece of an organ. "This is part of the Diclonius organ that allows them to use their vectors. By taking it and utilizing his structure around certain parts of the machine, we can do what you just saw. Unfortunately we had to kill ten girls just to get this far, heh, not that those bitches were of any use anyways."

"Bitches?" He thought angrily though trying to keep his face collect. "What did you call them? At least have the decency…to call them by their names." This machine that once impressed him, now made poor Riku sick to his stomach. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Life wasn't meant to be harsh or cruel and people weren't such bastards. Isn't that what he told Miriana and his wife, Misane? He told them how good the world was, how good people were and yet there was this abomination right in his face. "I'm afraid; I see no use in it."

"Eh? Really, I thought you were fairly impressed with it Director Kusoku. Are you sure about that?"

Riku glared at the box, the innards, the fact that his life was falling apart more and more. "Y-Yes…I'm sure about it. If it makes you happy, I will put a small budget for you to continue a little more research, but you'll have to do the rest."

"I see, I was hoping for something more, but it's better than nothing. Still I am glad you came by, good luck at Tokyo and show those bitches who…"

*BASH!*

Even he couldn't believe it when it happened; just hearing those words sent Riku over the edge. Swinging around, his fist collided with the other director's face and sent him hurtling across the floor. He had heard enough from him, calling those girls such wild names, sure, they could be murderous, but that didn't make them monsters right? Wasn't it bad enough that he had to crush his own ideals for the sake of this facility? Wasn't it bad enough that he constantly lied to his wife and child, his very daughter who always smiled happily at him? Wasn't it enough that those girls were constantly abused day in and day out? At the very least, this man could show them, just a minute bit of respect.

"Shut up…" He whispered viciously, his hand still red. "Just shut the fuck up already…"

"D-Director Kusoku, what's gotten into you!"

"They aren't…bitches. They're…just girls, girls we've put a lot of hardships into. I don't know about you, but I never liked the job I did. I never liked working for Kakuzawa but I did it, because I thought I would somehow end up helping more people in the end. I willingly gave up my soul and my ideals for the sake of helping millions of others. For the sake of a hundred, I hoped to save a million.

I damned myself long ago, but I won't listen to you disgrace these girls in front of me. Haa…Haa…Haa." Unable to take it, Riku finally left the building and drove back to his facility. Through the entire drive he felt nauseas and when he finally arrived back to his own destination he lost his stomach, vomiting into the parking lot and holding onto his car for support. He actually slipped back into the back seat; he didn't want anyone to see him like this. He felt that if he went back out, Miriana, Misane and even Number Zero somehow would see him in this state.

"Help me…somebody help me. I can't do this anymore but…if I don't..I…gauh!" He vomited again on the seat, disturbed by his own self. Trapped in despair and agony, was this how those girl's and Number Zero felt? He had only imagined their pain but now, with his kind heart breaking apart into a million pieces, he knew he hadn't come close to understanding any of them. "Help me…somebody help me…" Please anyone, someone to help him, to save him from this agony. But nobody would help him, he had been damned long ago. Catching his breath, he wiped the vomit off of his face and straightened his suit. He'd have to clean up the mess later but for now, he needed to get back to his facility and…

He stopped, then thought about something. It would never change anything, but at least it might bring some of the heaviness off his heart.

* * *

><p>That night before leaving the facility he went down to the Diclonius section. He still had to use Number Zero, even now he was still too important to him. But a young 13 year old girl they had nicknamed Lena found herself awakened by the director. Groggily she wandered what was going on, fearful that new experimentations were being readied, she whispered in an almost pleading manner. "I've been good, you aren't…"<p>

"Shhhh…" He hushed her into silence, not even fearing repercussions. Perhaps he wanted her to attack him, he was well within range and they had more than enough reasons to cut his head off. She was curious on where he was taking her now, especially as they had already passed the room for experimentation. Yawning loudly, she wished she would he would hurry up and get things over with. The next day was her experimentation day and she really wanted to get a good amount of sleep until then. Coming to a door finally, she awaited with baited breath to see what he had in store for her before the doors finally opened up.

"Huh?" Only confusion was etched on her features. Lena gazed out the doors into the moonlit night, turning her attention back to the Director who either couldn't or didn't want to face her. Most of his facial features were clouded in shadows except for one eye that held nothing but grief on his face. "Lena, that right there, is the exit to the outside world. It is filled with many wondrous and terrible things. I am not going to pretend…that I am not proud of what I have done to you and the others. I did these things, for the soul purpose of trying to help the human race. Truthfully, I never saw you as real people before. This is your chance at freedom, I won't stop you, now leave."

"Ehhh!" Now she was truly shocked at this revelation. "I don't get it, are you trying to trick me!" She wouldn't have this, if this was a joke he better stop it right now. She should kill him, for all the pain he had caused them, but his eyes, so regretful and pained as if the entire world was a weight on his shoulders. She wasn't sure whether to hate him now or just pity the foolish bastard. "You aren't lying to me, are you?"

He smiled falsely. "I can't lie right now…I'm too miserable to lie right now. I'll tell them there was an accident and that you had to be put down. Go out there, find yourself a new life and try to stay out of trouble. I won't free all of you; I still have my terrible work to do. Go on Lena, go out there, I am offering it to you."

"Do you know how long my kind has been screaming Director? Do you know how long I've been abused and tortured by you humans? I should kill you right now, you know I could too. I should cut your damn head off right here." She released her vector placing it against his neck and drawing a bit of blood. His face didn't change, he almost wanted her to do it, go right ahead, and cleave it right off. "I could spill your blood all over the floor." Yes she could, there wouldn't be a damn thing he could do about it and her vector slid in further.

"But…"

And she pulled back, leaving a large thin line on Riku's throat.

"…You look so miserable right now. I'm not going to kill you, even though you deserve it Director. Your face, your eyes, your tone, everything is so miserable. I'm going to let you live in this hellish world you created and let you feel our pain over and over again. You poor, pathetic, pitiful human." This child was right, this mere 13 year old girl understood completely his plight on the world. She looked more closely at him, her red eyes piercing into his own black ones and he felt a shiver run down his spine.

Turning her head to the side as if pondering a question, she muttered in a low voice. "Most of the humans I've seen, don't have that look in their eyes. You really do regret everything you've done, so why just free me, why not the others as well?

"I can't. Maybe you don't understand Lena, but I have to keep doing it."

"Why?" She asked tensely.

"…I…I...I want to make a better world my daughter. Miriana, my reason for living. I thought that, by sacrificing your lives I could make a better world for her and everyone else."

"But you didn't, did you Director?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't, the only thing I did was make it worse for you and the others." Never before had he felt so miserable in his entire life. He was a liar, a murderer and disgrace to his family. He had no right to be the husband of Misane or the father of Miriana. He didn't have the right to look at that girl before him and so he constantly averted her striking gaze. So weak, so defenseless, so powerless against a single child. He couldn't take it anymore, this wretched life, these wretched lies, and it wasn't worth it anymore. "What about this Lena, I can't just release them all at one time, it would cause too much of a commotion if I did. But what I'll do is this, monthly, I'll release one or two like I did you, telling the staff that accidents occurred in which they had to be put down."

Lena starred at him for a good awhile, trying to see any lies on his face. "Do you mean that, Director?"

"Yes, it might actually take a few years and I can't promise that the experimentations will stop, but I promise, every now and then I will release some secretly."

"…I don't see any lies in your eyes Director. I'm going to put you on your word, if you don't, I'll kill you myself." She said strictly. He only nodded once, watching her give him one last look of pity then turned away and walked out the doors. She was smart, even though she would have to steal to get food, water and clothes, she was smart enough to keep herself hidden. With his life in shambles, to release one soul in this hellish place and the idea of releasing more, made his life a lot easier.

And so began the turnaround of Director Riku Kusoku's life.

* * *

><p>"<em>How far are you willing to go?"<em>

"_Diclonius…"_

"_At some point, she'll start murdering again and again the humans around her."_

Garder kept an awfully close eye on his daughter and for good measure Mellissa as well. Those words had struck him hard because unlike all the other times, Vladimir wasn't lying, at least not completely. He had seen the issue with Mellissa herself when she had murdered those men. Cents had been right at that point, only one had shot him and yet Mellissa had blindly attacked them all. It wasn't the fact that she killed them either, she murdered them so badly that she actually continued to slice at dead flesh that made up the corpses. It was almost as if she had completely lost her mind, or as if something was telling her to kill them in which she had no control over. Maybe it was that voice she had spoken about.

"How are you doing over there Mellissa?" He asked.

"I'm fine, let me concentrate." She didn't mean to be rude but there was no way she was going to get lost now and screw up this rescue mission. She would find Nicholas whatever the cost. "I think I'm remember more of the locations around here, follow me please."

"Vorono, keep your eyes on the lookout, I don't want to be ambushed again."

*BLAM!*

He had to curse his own dumb luck there. Another assault just as he was trying to prepare for it in the first place. "Everyone, get in formation now!" It was just like before, in the woods, about 60 enemies and the lack of knowing a damn thing about the enemy a grind on Garder's nerves. Through the hail of gunfire he gave an order to Mellissa. "Can you provide some support Mellissa, I know you're able to block bullets." But the thing was, Mellissa was already having a difficult time already because none of Vladimir's men were actually trying to shoot Garder or his men. Almost all of them had started to fire on Mellissa herself who found the barrage of gunfire a hefty load even against her. In an instant a figure blocked the girl's path where Vorono had stepped in the bullets bouncing off his figure as if he was made of titanium.

"V-Vorono! What the hell!" Veronica shrieked, firing off her guns at the enemy and already confused beyond hell at this strange revelation. "Specialized endurance serum my girl! For some reason they keep aiming at Mellissa there, they must know that she's got a good idea of where we need to go and are trying to kill her. Keep her guarded!"

No, somehow Garder didn't think this was the reason. Vladimir had sent these men out to kill Mellissa, but it had nothing to do with finding his location. He felt it was deeper, much darker, and much more heinous. Vladimir Cents was man who relished in the suffering of others, somehow, there was something much more sinister about this plan. At all costs, he had to keep Mellissa safe. The young girl screamed at Vladimir's men. "Where is Nicholas you bastards! I know you guys have him!" No answer from them but their gunfire still went off. They constantly circled around them, almost all of them trying to get a hit on the Sipilet.

"My serum will only last about another 5 minutes, let's wrap things up!" Girikuson cried. Having to use the second serum, he was determined to use it to its best capabilities. It worked very well that had to be said, his entire body felt tight but not uncomfortable and every bullet that hit him couldn't not penetrate his flesh. How long had it taken to create such a thing? If they could get the time limit of these serums higher and mass produce it for the other soldiers, this would be a great asset in wars. Then again, if the enemy got it, the exact same thing could be done to them. Maybe it was best that such technology wasn't mass produced.

"I'll make all of you and Vladimir pay for what he did to Nicholas! I won't lose!" Exclaiming her determination, Mellissa and her protectors had to keep moving to keep sight of the foe.

"Don't worry Mellissa, you've done so much for us, I won't let them kill you." The Queen said that to her, a person who was both like a mother and a sister to her, had said those words directly to her. Now she had to win, she had to beat them and save Nicholas more than ever. This would all be over soon, and then together she would live with Veronica, Nicholas and Ilya as loving family. She loved them as her truly family, she loved them so much…she…"

*BAM!*

There was silence; any sound being made was instantly cut off in her head. Something had pressed against her chest like a small yet heavy force and another heavy feeling against her back. The world was hazy and blurry and she felt suddenly light on her feet. In the midst of the strange sensation, Mellissa realized that she was briefly floating in the air and something red was flying in the air in front of her. Was that her…blood? She could see the vividly shocked face of Veronica who apparently was the only one right now to see her strife. This moment felt like forever, and only when she hit the ground did she realize that she had been shot.

"MELLISSA!" Ignoring the gunfire around her, Veronica screamed at the fallen girl and ran over to her, bringing out her pack and medical supplies. Garder was too busy to tell her to get a hold of herself and pay attention but he too heard the gun shot and Mellissa's painful groans. Her chest had been shot cleanly open, her blood spreading quickly across the ground and Mellissa's world turned even hazier. "Just relax Mellissa, I'm going to help you, just…" She couldn't let her die, that wound wasn't that bad, besides, and Diclonius had the ability to heal wounds quickly. "Come on Mellissa, you'll be alright, just breathe and we'll…Mellissa, you can do it!" This girl had done so much for them, for her, for Nicholas, for Garder, to have her die would be the most shameful act of all. Poor Mellissa could only hear Veronica's voice, not even the sound of gunshots could reach her now. The trees were so pretty and the sky a tinted orange as dusk approached. "Have I…helped…Veronica?"

She couldn't die!

"Y-yes Mellissa, you've done a great job! Don't lose out on me now, you're stronger than that. Come on, keep breathing."

"…It…hurts though. Everything is so…blurry."

She couldn't die on her, this girl had been through so much pain in her life that she deserved some manner of peace right? Veronica kept applying ointments to her even while everyone murdered and was murdered because she couldn't lose this child. "You can do it Mellissa, you'll be all better soon and then…we'll get Nicholas and you'll be…with Ilya and we'll…"

"…I did good…right…V-Veronica?

"Of course! Of course you did Mellissa!"

"…I see…I'm sorry…for what I tried to do before. I…feel…sleepy."

She couldn't die! She had to live…but her wounds, not even a Diclonius could heal a ruptured heart.

"**I had…a lot of fun with you. I had...so many…p-painful memories…b-before. I feel…I…I…"**

She stopped, eyes half way opened but with no light to shine in her eyes. Her lips were partially opened as Veronica stared into the face of the deceased girl, her blood still leaking out of her wound. "M-Mellissa…?" That girl, that poor girl with horns who had lived a life of hell and did her best to change her future, did not move. "M-Mellissa, please…you don't deserve this." She didn't deserve to die, this girl deserved a peaceful life for everything she had gone through. But now, Vladimir Cents had violently turn that away from her. She had died, barely knowing a life outside of the hell she had lived in before. This girl had done so much for all of them and now…she was dead.

Dead!

Dead!

Dead!

Mellissa had been killed, by Vladimir Cents.

"_Yes…that's right Veronica…she was killed by Vladimir Cents and those humans!"_

Mellissa…did not deserve this pain.

Those humans killed her! They murdered her! They destroyed her!

…

…

"…Unforgivable…" She whispered softly, still looking closely at the deceased girl's face. "Unforgivable. This is…unforgivable. Mellissa, I won't let them get away with this." Something had happened, something in her mind in her body in her heart that changed completely. Her hand dropped her weapon so that she was standing limply with her head low, eyes almost blankly starring at the body now. "Unforgivable. This is entirely…unforgivable isn't it? They killed you…even though you…were always trying to make something worth of your life.

Th-this is…unforgivable.

You always tried to help me…even though you went through so much pain.

This is…completely unforgivable.

…

…

Unforgivable.

Unforgivable!

"_**I WILL NEVER FORGIVE A SINGLE ONE OF YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!"**_

Lost in wretched anger, Veronica screamed her ultimate regret and frustration, the world exploding around her in a maelstrom of hate and terror. She was somewhat aware of her own horns lengthening but the only thing on her head right now, the only thing the voice inside her head shrieked constantly, was to murder. "AHHH! AHHHH! AHHHHHH!" She just screamed and slaughtered those bastards, finding it the greatest sin that none of them were begging for their lives. "DIE! JUST DIE ALL OF YOU! JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!" She would kill them…again and again and again…until not one of those heartless bastards breathed again.

The heads flew off.

The limbs soared.

The blood was deep and crimson.

"AHHHH! AH! AH! AHHHHHH! BASTARDS! BASTARDS! YOU MURDERED HER! YOU KILLED HER! I WILL MAKE YOU ALL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MELLISSA! AHHH! AHHH!"

Kill! Kill! Kill! Slaughter! Butcher! Kill every last one of those fucking humans who did this!

"I won't forgive a single one of you! I won't! I won't! You all have to die now! Fucking bastards!" As she clashed violently with them, she felt something push her head back and cover her eyes.

"Veronica! Stop this right now! You have to stop this!" It was her father's voice.

"Stop it father! I have to kill them! I have to avenge Mellissa! She died trying to help us, I have to take revenge against those bastards! Let me go father! I said let me go!"

"Veronica! You have to calm down…please! They are all dead! Calm down right now!"

"Ahhh! Ahhhhh! Haa…Ahhh…Haaaa…ah…" She stopped, gripping her father for support whose hand covered her face. She suddenly felt hot now, as if her body was burning up on the inside which helped her to calm her nerves a bit. "…Haa…Haa…Haa…" Crying through painful gasps, her body continued to shake while she collapsed to her knees, still holding on to her father who did not remove his hands just yet. "Haa…Haa…Haa." Then when it finally looked like she had pacified, he removed his hand. Veronica lay on her side, crying, choking and feeling most despondent. The battle hadn't lasted more than ten minutes and yet it had felt like a ridiculously longer and much more painful time.

"I'm sorry Mellissa…even though you tried so hard."

At last getting herself together, she looked to see the fruits of her labor. Her body froze when she what the world was like for her. Oh she had killed Cents' men, she had done a real number on them for sure.

…

…

And…she had also murdered over half of Garder's men in her blind state of fury. Bodies of both of enemies and of allies were sprawled out in pieces around the battlefield. In her blindness of her own abilities she had reduced a 40 meter radius of the forest into a crunched wasteland of which the terrible scent of blood was nearly overwhelmed her. She could see Vorono's face, nothing short of complete astonishment on his face. Everyone else was just the same, almost ready to gag at the sight of the hell before them.

"D-Did I do…all of this?" She asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

"Listen up everyone…" The old General called out solemnly to the survivors. "We are to keep moving forward like we did before, after that we are going to rest."

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT THAT MONSTER!"

Veronica cringed when she heard those hateful words against her. She hadn't meant for it to go this far, she had just been so angry and the voice in her head had been so loud and clear. She had only meant to slaughter Cents' men and yet she had go way past that. Garder again spoke up. "I will keep Veronica on a state of careful watch. Vorono and I will do it in fact so once we get to a better location I will allow you all to rest for the night."

But words weren't going to change the slaughtered pile of corpses or the elongated horns on Veronica's head. For the soldiers who had nearly escaped death, even the most profound disbeliever of devils would have seen the woman as nothing more than the ultimate spawn of a demon. That's what she and Mellissa were, they were demons, sent from Hell to cause strife to mankind. One man, unable to take it anymore, pulled out his gun and pointed it at Veronica's head while the 21 year old woman shivered uncontrollably at the sight of it. "I-I don't know what…I…don't…"

"Shut up monster! You and that other bitch are devils."

She shook her head, not feeling like a confident and proud woman but so small and feeble that even the most mundane of insults hurt her deeply. That other girl was Mellissa who was lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. She would've been furious for that soldier to call Mellissa such a terrible name, but her heart was already in pieces itself by the revelation of what she had caused. "I'm sorry everyone I didn't…"

"Put the gun down soldier." General Morotisan answered simply. "Let's head off, keep your distance if you want and Veronica, stay by my side." She was more than happy to do so. Veronica leaned against her father's side, one hand over her face because she didn't want to see the carnage that she had created. Whimpering, scared and needing support, she clung to her father as if she was truly only a baby girl who wanted to be held. Garder himself didn't look at her but she could see his face and she could see his painful expression.

"_She'll keep killing and killing until not a single human is left. It's not her fault really but there's nothing to stop her at all. Maybe she was good before, maybe she was decent and able to stop herself. It might be 10, 20 or even 50 years before it happens. But eventually, she'll given into her own madness inside of her head and kill everyone around her._

_So tell me…dreaming soldier…just how far are you willing to go? How much do you love your daughter who will kill again and again until there is none left to stand? _

_At some point you'll have to wake up from your silly little dreams."_

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: And so, the end for Mellissa has come. In the vast and terrible war where she had did her best to change her life, it was instead violently torn away from her in a blink of an eye. In stife, Veornica gave into her own despair, killing her murderers but inadvertedly killing her allies as well. But the war must go on and so what will happen on the next "Pinpoint Zero?"<em>

_R&R_


	19. Pinpoint Lifeline

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 19: Pinpoint Lifeline**

"Ahhh…ugh…!" Moaning awake, Nicholas wasn't sure how long he had been out. He was uncomfortable for sure, one of his arms felt terribly light and he could barely even feel his fingers there. More so, he felt constricted as if something was tightening around his entire body. Lastly, he was somehow floating in the air. Getting his sense back together he discovered to be literally hanging by a chain from an extremely tall cathedral like ceiling, the walls ornate with splendid silver stone. "Wh-Where am I?" He moaned loudly, trying to grasp on the situation.

"Oh? You finally awake boy?"

That voice, trying to vent his anger out the only thing that came out was a very weak. "C-Cents…you bastard…" Looking down, he could see the enemy leader casually sitting down in decorated throne like chair, his legs casually crossed and spinning a glass of champagne in his left hand. It was there that he could also see a vast array of other people, many of whom were wearing elaborate black suits and holding trays of food and drinks that were given not only to Vladimir but to many of the other people as well. He could hear though not interpret, conversations from the, guests from what they looked like and had he not seen Cents himself, he might have thought he'd gone into some sort of high class party.

"You've been out for a while Nicholas, I thought you might have gone into a coma. Might because of that arm, it was right mess."

He looked over and yelped when he saw that one of his arms wasn't none existence. "Aaaagh! What the hell!"

"Yep, I cut it off, you were mess my boy, but luckily my men patched you nice and good." Those people down there, we're all of those Vladimir's servants who killed for him. He was still too weak to get angry or even surprised at this point but he was conscious enough to start demanding some stuff. "Where the hell am I Cents?"

"Behold, this is my home. My grand citadel. Below you are just a few of my loyal people who wish to follow and help me attain my desires. I'm sort of glad you're awake, I have something very interesting to show you." Not like had a choice in the matter, nevertheless Nicholas's eyes found themselves moving to a large projector in front of the room in which firstly appeared hundreds of small screens that seemingly showed the landscape of Europe. That was how he had been tracking them so easily, all the cameras hidden, somebody could watch from here and give orders to the men out on the battlefield. He could see one particular panel where thousands of dead bodies lay together, the face of Caston visible. There was a lot of panels with dead bodies but Vladimir clicked on one and brought it forward. The damage was astounding. Had a bomb gone off in that forest?"

"This was of a most interesting site; look at it, the amount of suffering there was great! But I didn't show you this particular image for the body count; do you know what happened here? Don't answer that question you obviously don't know. Here, let me show you something." Panning forward, the camera turned and Nicholas stifled his gasp. Laying there, eyes half open was Mellissa with a bloody hole in her chest. Nicholas could hardly believe what he was seeing, that was Mellissa, laying there on the ground, dead.

"That girl, Mellissa was attempting to save you. She got Veronica, Garder and everyone else together, all of them, because she wanted to save you. She felt so terrible when I took you, crying and whining all the way back home! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! I got my group together for the purpose of hunting her down and look how it went. Mellissa is now dead."

…

"…You…bastard…" The young man hissed violently.

"Yes…but you know what the best part of this whole show is? You see how both of my men and your men have been killed, only one person did that. Do you know who it was, boy? It was her, your own girl! Veronica!"

"FUCKING LIAR!" He didn't want to hear such bullshit right now. Wasn't it bad enough that had to know that Mellissa had died trying to help him? Wasn't it bad enough that he hanging there with a missing arm and his friends and family dying around him? Struggling, he wished to kill Cents, grab a gun, shoot him in the head and splatter his brains across the floor. He should have done it the first time when he came across him, shot him right there! Mellissa had told him to do it, she had told him to shoot him but he had refused to do it, thinking it wasn't wise in such a situation. Suddenly, with his heart feeling severely cold, he wondered if he was somewhat responsible for Mellissa's death. If he had shot him, he could have killed him and Mellissa would not be lying on the ground with a hole in her heart. But that other statement, the only reason he believed Mellissa was dead was because he saw the body himself, he unfortunately couldn't deny that.

But Veronica, to make such a horrendous accusation about his fiancé was unforgivable!

"You fucking lying bastard, how dare you tarnish Veronica's name like that!"

Vladimir sighed simply before taking another sip of his drink. "You know Nicholas, just because I am the King of Deceit, does not mean I lie about everything. I have to tell some truths you know. Veronica killed all of them in a fit of terrible rage, such splendid agony that was on her face. She was trying to slaughter my men but in her blindness, she attacked everyone without even meaning to."

"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!" He didn't want to hear it, because somewhere, deep down, deep inside of him, he knew it was true. Vladimir did stop speaking about Veronica though, his face in fact, became somewhat mellow as he sipped again the alcoholic drink and leaned back against the chair. His next words were not about the battle but something different.

"Dreams…everyone in the world has dreams. Even I once had dreams. Maybe it's the starting point for all of us, got to do a little bit of dreaming before we can go on. I guess, in the end, dreaming isn't so bad. Sit back, relax and just dream a little." Vladimir raised his head to the ceiling, still twiddling the glass between his fingers then taking the final drink. "But people are so foolish now a days, they constantly dream and dream but never realize that they have to wake up eventually. Dreams used to be just something fun to sleep upon until the next day but idiots have brought those dreams to reality. It is impossible for dreams to last forever, because all dreams must eventually end. But when a person has desires, when they truly are capable of earning their worth, then as long as they continue and never give up, they will eventually get their mark.

…Lt. Nicholas Vega. What do you good sir, desire above all things in the world? What is that one thing that you must have, that you will fight for, that you will kill and be killed for?"

Was he talking insanity now? "What are you getting on about Vladimir? This sounds like a bunch of bullshit crap you're spewing…"

The glass in Vladimir's hand shattered into tiny fragments, the wicked man's ire growing. "Do not dare to spread your stupid little dreams on me, bastard! You are like the rest of them, dreaming saints who constantly think that their dreams will get them somewhere. Wake up! Open your eyes! Dreams will never come true, because no matter how far you get, YOU. MUST. WAKE. UP!

You can't dream forever, not even when you're dead! You can't keep on dreaming but the world doesn't seem to realize that! I desire to make a world of perfect suffering, to live and die in total annihilation. I desire to have my throat bleeding out, my bones cracked, all of it and more. Yet I will never stop, I can't stop because my desires also mean that I must always continue!

Do you desire to save your girlfriend! Do you desire to save your comrades! Do you desire to kill me! Bullshit, you are a dreamer throwing your punkass declarations to me! I will not stand to hear these assumptions from a shit hole little dreaming bastard like you!"

Nicholas had never seen this side of Cents before. On the camera, the images, all of it had shown a twisted man grinning wildly. Was this the same Vladimir Cents who looked like he was going to snap in rage. But the man did calm down, in fact that smile that was almost friendly did finally appear on his lips. "But I have finally found someone, that General Garder F. Morotisan is not like those dreamers. His eyes, his tone, his actions are filled to the brink with thrill and excitement. His determination to continue on despite everything that happens to him is wonderful! People are so easy to give up but him, when he told me that he was going to kill me, I actually felt a chill run down my spine.

This man, this elderly man who could die of a heart attack some point, was truthful in his desires to kill me. I finally found an enemy, a person I can fight as desires clash! Will he win or will I? I don't plan on giving up and neither does he, right? It's amazing, this is just amazing!"

"What are you going to do with me then?"

"Oh you? You are very important, because I think it's only a little more time, before everyone snaps! So be quiet, take it easy and watch our final bets play."

* * *

><p>The crescent shaped moon shone brightly in the night sky while and calm and gentle breeze blew through the open field. Everyone was asleep or tried to, considering what had happened. There was however one person who couldn't get to sleep no matter how hard she tried. Alone, both because nobody wanted to be near her and because she didn't' want to be near anybody, Veronica lay on her back with her right hand to her face. Mellissa was dead, that poor girl and she had murdered all those people in her wrath.<p>

Mellissa.

If that girl was still alive, she would know what was wrong with her. Mellissa could tell her why she was acting like this, but instead she had let that child die. She should have died protecting her but instead, she watched her die before her very eyes. "What am I supposed to do, I just don't understand anything anymore? I can't control my urges, I can't stop being so angry, what's wrong with me?

"_Isn't it simple? It's because of those humans that your life is like this."_

"Humans?" She thought. "I killed my own team, even when they didn't do anything wrong."

"_On the contrary, they did everything wrong. Don't you remember, they were the ones who mocked you and Mellissa, some of them even were willing to kill you. You may not have meant it, but you did the world a favor by killing those bastards. Think about it Veronica, they were willing to kill you and Mellissa, I bet some of them actually enjoyed it when she died."_

She had to partially agree on some of it at least. The people she had once seen as comrades had expressed their hatred. So maybe it was right to kill them.

"_Of course it was right Veronica, those humans murdered Mellissa. If the enemy didn't attempt it then those who you once thought as allies would have done the same thing. You aren't like them Veronica, you're a Diclonius, a Queen at that. They aren't your friends, they're your enemies and until you get rid of them, they'll kill you too!"_

Veronica shook her head. "I can't do that, what about my father, Vorono or Nicholas? They're humans and they've never done anything bad to me.:

"_Maybe not…but then again, maybe they aren't human. You have to understand Veronica that humans are monsters who are willing to kill us just because we're different. You have to kill them before they kill you. You can do it, right now, slaughter them and then find your mate. They don't care about you and since Nicholas is with you, they'll only think that he too is a monster who enjoys being with other monsters. Veronica, this is your chance, now kill them in their sleep!"_

"I c-can't!"

"_You can and you know it! You aren't like them, now kill them! Smear their blood all across the ground and make them pay for what they did! If you want to leave your father and Vorono alive then fine, do so, but the rest of them don't deserve your sympathy. You have the ability to do it, you've always had it and now is the time for you to use that power again._

_Go on!_

_Kill them!_

_Kill them all!_

_NOW!"_

"Bah!" Gasping herself awake, Veronica instantly covered her mouth so that her cry was muffled. Had she been dreaming that whole time, it had felt so vividly real. That voice she heard been listening to the whole time, it was somehow familiar and oddly close. Looking around her she saw that nobody else was around and yet it still hadn't felt like a dream. The moon was still shining above her and the stars glittered above so she couldn't tell how much time had passed.

"What was that voice that I heard? It sounded so close and real, I thought somebody was actually talking to me. Hello?" She whispered out the call, gazing around her but still no answer of any kind. "Mellissa, if you were still here, you would know how I should deal with my problems right? I've been through wars before, I've seen battles and I've seen deaths. I've seen the world on fire and seen children scream, but I've never felt so pitiful before either. I thought I could go through this war like any other, find our foe, kill him and be off with it.

…I watched you die Mellissa, watched you breathe our last breath. We were going to be a family, You, Me, Nicholas and Ilya all together in a nice home somewhere in South America. You've never went to South America, I wonder if you've even heard of it. Nicholas was trying to get a very nice place in Argentina. You know, what I've always wanted was to have a family of my own to raise and take care of. I've always acted like a confident and do it her own woman, but I've always just wanted to have an easy life one day that didn't involve me fighting out here in the battlefields. I like my individuality but I just wanted something different.

Diclonius, you were the first person I ever heard such a word from. It's not too shocking now, I mean, invisible hands that only I could see, I'm sure my father was just as concerned then as he and everyone else is now. My father might not have known what I was or just what I was capable of doing, but he always looked out for the best of me. He always told me that if I ever used my hands to use them in secret and not to make a scene with them. He knew if a lot of people saw what I could do, it would spell major trouble for our families.

I…

I…don't know what to do anymore. I don't know what to think, or what to say or anything at all. I can't even call myself human anymore. If you were alive right now, you could help me out right? You could help out your older sister, right? You said that you heard a voice inside of your head, I think I'm hearing voices inside my head too. I think I heard it before but I never paid much attention to it. I guess I just thought I was thinking to myself, making myself believe what I wanted to hear. But it was so vivid tonight that I couldn't but think that an actual person was talking to me. They sounded close, right there inside of my head. I can't believe I'm actually having conversations with myself, it's impossible to tell if it's real or if I'm dreaming."

Veronica, lying on her back gazed up at the starry sky, the moonlight dancing in the crimson gaze of her eyes before sighing sadly. "I want this war to end soon, then I can go back home with Nicholas and Ilya and…well I probably won't do a lot of fighting, except…" She giggled despite herself. "…Whenever Nicholas and I get into arguments, but you, you won't get to see that will you? I think I'll also stop using my powers, I can't imagine what would happen if I got out of control again and something terrible happened to Nicholas, Ilya or anyone."

No more thoughts or strange voices lingered in her head, with nothing but the cool air to blow against her face, Veronica at long last fell asleep with little disturbances.

* * *

><p>She said nothing, she didn't look at anyone and the only person who stood by her side was her father and Vorono. The morning air was crisp, clear and oddly refreshing as if the world was to forget the bloodbath that happened only yesterday. Veronica hadn't forgotten it though, that painful memory and nobody around her was going to make her forget it. She could see the glares, the hate filled eyes, the snarling teeth and the fear etched faces of which only Garder and Vorono managed to keep steady. If they weren't here, she was almost sure that all of them would form a mob and try to kill her. After the act she pulled yesterday, killing them like that, wouldn't it be for the best?<p>

"Listen up everyone…" Garder spoke loud and clear, his voice seemingly changed somewhat. While still demanding, it had lost its vibrant form that it was known for. "There is a small town about 5 miles from here that needs our support, once we deal with it, we will try and continue our march.

…Veronica…" She raised her head when he called her name, but still wouldn't look at him. She felt so ashamed with herself that even if he wasn't completely disgraced with her, she couldn't bother to even look him in the eyes anymore. Though she did want to save him and she did want to return to Ilya, somehow, the same thing regarding her father went for them as well. She did not want Nicholas or Ilya to their fiancé and mother as this murderous wretch who couldn't control her own body. More so, it became increasing obvious that because her daughter was also a Diclonius, it was now highly possible that that she too would go into these fits of rage.

"...You are to stay here with Captain Girikuson until we return. Do not move or disobey my or Girikuson's command."

Nodding once, she only muttered softly. "I understand."

"Good, keep an eye on her Vorono."

The muscular man also nodded solemnly. "Do not worry Garder, I'll take good care of her." He glanced quickly at the ill willed woman who upon giving him a second of eye contact, quickly averted her sights again as if thinking she insulting him by merely looking at him. Perhaps she just didn't want to hurt him somehow, Vorono was always a good person to her even during all the trouble this war had brought, she really didn't want to ruin that relationship. Hell, it might have been ruined anyways. Veronica did at least watch her father and the men, many of whom she knew were thankful that she was not coming with them.

"…V-Vorono, what's wrong with me?"

The Captain could only give the poor Diclonius a heavy look and shook his head apologetically. "I don't know." His answer was short because short is the best he can give. He had nothing against Veronica and if he could, he would love nothing more than to help her out in her time of grief. But he didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to do or how to comfort her. He had seen it, even felt it and if it wasn't because of the serums, he'd certainly be dead too right now. The look on her face when she had killed those men, was something that couldn't even be described as human. It was like her entire nature of comprehension had died at that moment, only to be replaced by the sickening sensation of a beast lost in ravenous hunger. How did one comfort a person who did that?

"None of this….happened before. I've been in wars before, I've seen deaths and I've seen horrible things. But now, I feel so strange, like I'm losing touch with reality. I used to be so confident with myself, but I'm afraid." Speaking to Vorono, a person she knew she could trust, did manage to lift some of the stress off of her shoulders. Vorono only listened carefully, showing proper care and respect in her time of need.

"I'm so scared right now, that someday I'll end up doing what I did again. I'll start hurting people close to me without meaning to. I'm afraid I'll hurt you, or my father, Nicholas or even Ilya…I…I…" Sobbing softly into her hands, Vorono never thought he would see Veronica so pitiful in his entire life. The poor thing sat against her knees, red eyes that were filled with tears of unexplained apprehension.

"_Then why don't you make yourself unafraid?"_

"How can I do that?" Without meaning to, she asked herself the question and without truly realizing it, an answer was given.

"_Do I have to spell it out for you, all of your troubles have been caused by humans. You've been hiding the fact ever since you were a child, and if you didn't notice before, you should notice now, the looks, the glares, the hateful gazes that everyone gives you. _

_Veronica, you need to stop living in denial, wake up and see reality. There might be some humans, like your father, who may love you. You're his child and no matter how hideous people think you are, he will undoubtedly care for you. It's only a fact but the rest of them, they don't care about you at all._

…_Veronica…_

_Kill them. The sooner you do it, the sooner things will start to look better for you."_

Vorono raised his head, noticing the young woman standing, yet hunched over with a dead look in her eyes. He didn't speak but he definitely found her look offsetting, like her entire eyes were blank splotches of blood. Her lips were slightly open which open and closed as if she was speaking silently to someone or something. Then without warning, Veronica slowly raised her head, the gleam of light hitting her eyes so that the red irises shone brightly with stern determination and the very hint of malice in them. Then, she slowly began to walk forwards to the area where Garder and the other's had left.

"V-Veronica! Stay here!" The Captain ordered, his words getting no response from the girl. Quickly hurrying over to her, Vorono grasped the woman by her shoulders, keeping her steady. "Veronica, you need to stay here, please. I know there isn't much I can tell you, but if you need to talk I'll…"

"Vorono…" Her whisper was dark, unsteady and filled with as much malicious intent as was in her eyes. "…I have nothing against you. You were a good friend and I have never seen or heard anything from you that would ever hurt me. But the rest of them...the rest of those bastards…and Vladimir Cents…" He saw it, her eyes, enraged so that her pupils were just slits starring aimlessly off.

"…**Can't ever be forgiven…"**

Was this Veronica Morotisan, the same confident young woman from before? Vorono thought he was seeing a demon almost, a creature with hate in her eyes and a soul shaking with fury and pain. "If you get in my way Vorono, I'll kill you too." The threat to him wasn't what shocked him, it was her change, this was no longer the same Veronica he knew and despite such threats, he had to keep her here, both for her and for everyone else's safety. He once again gripped her shoulders, knowing her abilities and knowing what she could do to him if she so wished it. "Veronica, please listen to me, what you're going to do is not going to help anything.

Please, lie down, relax, just…"

"Vorono…" She didn't yell his name out or anything, only a short whisper.

*CRACK!*

"Gyaaah!" Blood and spit flew from his mouth as something hard hit him in the chest, he heard loud cracks and was sure his ribs had been broken. Unable to keep himself balanced he collapsed forward, clutching his sides and trying to quell the pain. She was moving, the woman he was supposed to keep safe and secured was moving away until he heard the unmistakable sound of a leap. Though he didn't raise his head to look, what he heard sounded almost like large heavy hits on the ground. The Queen soared into the air, her vectors carrying her aloft as she headed towards the location with murder in her heart.

* * *

><p>The area was a small town with a population of only about 200, the survivors were being helped as the dead placed in a new area. Garder, of course not getting any information out of the foes, finally started getting some from the innocent. Though he could not be given any direct location of where Vladimir was at, many people had seen large groups of men in a certain vicinity. If his hunches were correct, heading near that area would undoubtedly bring him one step closer to Vladimir Cents. Then, just as he was about to call his men to join him, he felt a sudden shiver of the wind. No, it wasn't the wind, something had flown down and landed lithely on her feet.<p>

"Veronica."

There she was, a look of hate in her eyes that he certainly didn't miss but as she gazed at him, it did become notably softer. But it was only on him, her eyes flashed dangerously whenever she saw others, not just the team but even the innocent lives whom upon seeing a woman with horns suddenly fall down from the sky, could only gape in astonishment. "You are supposed to be with Captain Girikuson, leave now."

She didn't listen, in fact, she didn't even look at him, but Garder could hear the tell-tale signs of her strange powers emerging. But just as she was going to attack, she suddenly lunched at her father and buried her head into his chest, screaming shrilly.

"Father! Father! I don't know what's wrong with me, I feel dirty and corrupt right now! I can't control my urges, I can't think straight, please…help me!" She both wanted to kill and yet knew it was wrong, trapped within her own feelings, she wanted some answers. Most of all, Veronica wished for her father to once again hold her like before, comfort her and even if he couldn't explain what her problem was, he could at least stay by her side.

"I can't help it anymore, I need…I need…" She needed a lot, what exactly thought was something she pondered herself.

"Veronica…return back to Vorono." She had to listen to her father, he always meant well for her, so she had to listen and obey his orders. "Y-Yes father, I'll…" But as she turned around, keeping her gaze on the ground as not to look at anyone else, she heard a voice. She knew she should ignore it, nothing ever good came out that voice, but just hearing It, knowing that voice was responsible for the death of Mellissa, made her finally look up at the screen and into Vladimir's face. She actually didn't express any anger, not yet at least, her eyes were trying to look empty and uncaring, but there was no way that she could gaze at that murderous person and be calm about it.

"Ah, I'm glad you made it little Veronica-chan. I didn't think you'd actually come, tell me, have your dreams been one of pleasantry?"

"What do you want?" She asked coldly.

"Ha! What do I want, must I again tell you of my desires? But no, I think your question is a bit more of a direct one. Why would I suddenly make contact with you, considering I've been watching this fight since the very beginning." He made a sudden, offhand comment to Garder. "Good job here too General, your determination never ceases to surprise me. But now…" He returned back to Veronica and finally lifted his hand so that screen panned out.

"Nicholas!" There he was, his lack of an arm nearly giving the poor woman a heart attack but sighing in relief when she saw that he was alive. "Veronica, is that you?" He might not have been able to see her from his location or he might have been drugged somehow, she wasn't sure but she answered loudly. "It is Nicholas, I'm right here! Vladimir you take him down right now!"

"Sorry, can't do that."

He was mocking her, mocking her life and the lives of those close to her. "I won't tell you again, let him down, now." He dared to smile and shake his head? He dared to laugh at her angst and pain while keeping her fiancé tied up like that? Unforgivable!

"This war has been very interesting, I seek to make my desires come true no matter what. Until I die, I will never cease nor stop my pursuits. Until your father showed that amazing determination, his desires to kill me truly legitimate, this war actually had gotten a bit boring. Now it's time for me to call the bet."

Something was wrong, she could sense it, something was terribly wrong. Nicholas could almost sense it himself and he started yelling at the screen. "Veronica! Listen to me right now!" Garder listened too but for Veronica, the only thing she was paying attention to was the right hand of Vladimir Cents that held a small black pistol.

"Mellissa told me that there was a case in Japan, where other horned girls like her were being taken and tortured." Maybe he knew what was happening and yet instead of showing fear, he yelled at her to give this last piece of information to them. But Veronica only saw the gun rising, the finger holding the trigger heavily and the head of the gun now pointing directly at an angle. Vladimir Cents was a cruel and unforgiving person, but certainly he wasn't so cruel as to be pointing that gun at Nicholas' head. That smile on his face was a joke right? Vladimir Cents might break his body, but he would never do something this cruel, right?

"V-Vladimir! Please don't do it, if you want me that's fine but…please…don't do it?"

"Hm? You don't want me to do what exactly?"

She begged, just let him go, just stop it right now. "Please…please don't…please…"

"Veronica…" Why was he speaking like that to her, his voice soft and full of compassion. It made her think horrible thoughts almost, as if it was the last time she'd ever hear those words again.

"…Veronica…I lo…"

_***BLAM!***_

And it was over, the sound of a gunshot and the splatter of blood and Nicholas Vega's life was erased in an instant.

"…I haven't done anything bad right? I've always been a good person who has tried to help others. I've always fought these wars so that others could be saved, because…because…I wanted to help people. I never did anything wrong, so this is just another cruel joke right?

Right?

…R-Right?

I…I can't see, everything's dark, is it night? No, my eyes are close, I can't…I can't open them, I don't want to open them, I don't want to look at it anymore. I'll just wake up, wake up in my bed after this long and terrible nightmare and…

…and…

I'll wake up…come on, why am I still here though, why am I not somewhere else? This is a nightmare, just a plain nightmare that I have to wake up from.

N-No…No…no…no…no…"

Slumped on her knees, she starred without truly seeing the screen, the world lost around her. Nothing came to her, no sound just the final hideous image of blood. She had been a good person right? This wasn't the way it was supposed to be, not like this, not like this at all. Maybe she was crying, even if she was she didn't notice it, she stop breathing and she probably wouldn't have noticed it either. The only thing she saw, forever etched into her horned head, was blood.

Was that her heart that thumped, how was she even alive now? The entire world was now a chaotic mess and she wanted out of it. It was never supposed to be like this, but now, she had lost everything. Her friend, her lover, even herself, completely destroyed so that only a shell remained. The only thing she knew now, the only thing her pitiful mind had to accept was that the person slumped over, hanging by a rope with blood leaking from his head, was indeed the same person she was supposed to marry.

"It's all their fault…" There was no longer a reason to keep this concealed. That voice inside her head, it had been right all along. Now, in the single moment of clarity, she finally realized just what kind of person she truly was.

"None of you…will ever…be…none of you…

…

…

"_**ALL OF YOU JUST FUCKING DIE!"**_

This time, she did kill them, everyone around her in scene of gore and body parts. She didn't care anymore, didn't care if they were friend or foe or just a pure innocent life. She didn't care if they were little children or the smallest of babies, anything her hand reached out for was instantly destroyed on the spot. _**"YOU ALL NEED TO DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"**_ She screamed each word louder than the next, slashing, hacking, pulling, these humans had to die. They were responsible for her pain, they were responsible for her deaths of those she loved. Every last one of these bitches and bastards were responsible for her plight and she would make them all pay dearly for her suffering. _**"I NEVER WANTED THIS! I JUST WANTED TO BE HAPPY AND YOU BASTARDS TOOK IT ALL AWAY FROM ME!" **_Something like thunder boomed loudly and a torrent of wind surrounded the woman. A torrent which soon became a hurricane, her mind broken and her rage intensifying. She tossed her hands around, blowing apart buildings and letting them reach to the heavens. She barely cared that blood was leaking from her mouth or that her organs were now burning uncontrollably.

"_**I WON'T STOP UNTIL YOU BASTARDS GIVE IT BACK! EVERYTHING YOU TOOK FROM ME! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"**_

Because it hurt so much. She just killed, didn't care what she heard and just slaughtered while crying profusely.

…

…

The wind…finally died down. Choking, she saw as she knew a world of death and destruction around her. There were some survivors though none of them of the townsfolk, those who luckily not been attacked by her hands. How far had they reached, a kilometer, two kilometers, an impossibly large distance? Most of the buildings had been crumbled and left in ruin, leaving dirty trail of smoke in the air. Some fires had been started, burning incisively in all directions and she herself felt like she was on fire.

"Aaagh! Gah!" it hurt, her body hurt so badly and a thick trail of blood leaked from both corners of her mouth. It lasted only for about 5 minutes before the absolute pain overtook her senses and she forced herself to finally stop. Now with the wind blowing in her ears, she cried and covered her face while trying to get rid of the agony that coursed through every vein in her body.

*TAK* *TAK* *TAK*

Footsteps? Lifting her head she was so glad to see her father. Still crying brokenly, she wanted nothing more than for him to open his arms and hold it until she cried herself to sleep. If there was ever truly a time that she needed him, it was right now. Then at last he came upon her…

…and pushed the muzzle of the grey pistol against her forehead.

"Huh?"

Why was her father pointing a gun at her? This was her father, he was supposed to love her indefinitely, instead of shooting her, he should have been comforting her. "F-Father?"

"_Just how far will you go, Garder F. Morotisan?"_

He glared at her, his black slit eyes displaying no pity or understanding but strict coldness that pierced his daughter like daggers. His hand did not shake nor did he blink once while he starred harshly in her eyes. "F-Father? What are you doing?" She questioned tenderly.

This was war, the most single and absolute form of it. People die in war, every day of every hour of every minute of every second. People are constantly killed, men, women, children, the young, the aged, straight, homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, the smart, the dumb, war took no sides accept those who grasped it themselves. There was nothing now to be said, Veronica Morotisan could only be qualified as the enemy. Even if he let her live now, it had now been shown through the hazy field of destruction, that this was what she truly was.

"Please father, I'm sorry, I don't know why but…"

Her words mean nothing now, nothing means anything to him. He doesn't even hear Vorono's own cry as he finally managed to catch up, holding his bandaged self. The only thing he can see is the most pitiful crimson eyes with tears leaking out. The person before him, the person who he called 'daughter' is crying and begging for him to stop. He's seen them stop bullets, she might either be too weak, his gun too close or just the shock alone has put her off. Even Vladimir is silent, his eyes wide and starring with a small smirk on his face as he waited for the final call.

"…F-Father! I'm sorry…I'm…please..."

"Garder you don't have to do this!"

He doesn't listen to Vorono's cry.

"Please! Please! PLEASE!"

…

…

_No matter how hard you push or how hard you try to grasp it. In the end, you must eventually wake up from your silly little dreams._

*BANG!*

At the final calling the bullet was released. Blown backwards by the force of the gunshot, Garder watched as his daughter drew her last breath, tears streaming from her eyes in the last action of horrible understanding. Abandoned by everyone, viewed only as a monster in the eyes of those she once trusted. Then finally killed by the person she loved most of all. Veronica had lost everything, her family, her heart, he hopes, every last friend was gone and not even pity was given to her.

He had never even told her he loved her.

Veronica Morotisan was dead before her body even hit the ground, eyes staring without seeing, he lips slightly agape. Blood flowed from the bullet in her forehead while Garder looked down upon the fallen form of his daughter. He didn't blink , he didn't cry, but everything was gone in his eyes. All the color, hope or kindness that he had once held was now replaced with strict coldness. To win at all cost, to do whatever it takes to finish things, this was war to the most absolute sense.

People die, every day of every hour of minute of every second. Sacrifices have to be made, to win wars. The person lying dead before him, was an obstacle to humanity's fate, to leave her alive would only lead to more pain and suffering for everyone else.

"Vorono, call in that we are to need more support."

"Garder?"

Garder, his friend had changed, his black slit eyes lacked any warmth in them, almost as if he was blind to everything but the coldest of understandings. Then he said, in the most ruthless and unforgiving tone as he shot the screen where Vladimir's face showed smiling gleefully.

"_**Commencing Operation…Pinpoint Lifeline."**_


	20. A Defeated Victory

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 20: A Defeated Victory**

Garder sat down at the far end of his chair, the furthest one from the head of the desk as he carefully read the sheet of paper in his hand. Around him, heavy eyes of ten different people glared at him, though they didn't mean to, one might have gotten the impression that they were trying to intimidate him. It wasn't just people from South America either, seven other military leaders from Europe, one from the United Sates and one from Japan had gathered together in a remote area in the United States where business was being conducted. The calmest people other than Garder himself, where those of the Japanese and American who sat stone faced but collect with their hands folded as if such a meeting was only practical. Those of the European nationalities might look as if they were trying to be calm but their sweaty faces and fast moving eyes indicated their concern.

"Pinpoint Lifeline…" Garder said sternly, looking upon the parchment a second time before gently folding it and placing it back on the table. "Unless Vladimir's reign goes to the United States or the State of Japan, this really has no concern to any of you." The two foreign men neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement but knew well enough that what Garder said was true. With the exception of helping to send in supplies, they provided only a miniscule support effort as far as troops went. Obviously the United States would only enter into the war if they were directly attacked themselves, history and personal comments had told him that far too well.

But the personal vindication of what caused people to go to war was not the purpose of the meeting. The purpose was the piece of parchment that gave Garder F. Morotisan the right to end millions of lives if he wanted. He spoke to the front of the room, eyes not looking at one direct person but speaking, mostly to the European nations, of the dreaded plan.

"Do you know, what will happen if I order this command to my troops?" Garder asked.

"We do, it is a terrible and ill fortunate idea that should never have crossed man's lips. To do something to anyone's country is absurd! It should be considered a violation of mankind, an ill act of nature!" One man from German roared rather heartily, even shaking his fists before looking at it as if he was seeing something peculiar then slowly lowering it down along with his head. After giving such a short yet rousing speed, he suddenly seemed depressed and began to tap the edge of the table absentmindedly. "Yet, what else can we do right now?" At that moment the head of the table picked up the remote and pressed a single button, first allowing a large screen to drop down from the ceiling then with another click, it turned on.

"Age unknown. Height and weight unknown. Even his own origins are something we can only take a wild guess at. This man, Vladimir Cents has turned Europe into a fear infested hell." The man spoke, looking at the photograph of the incorrigible man who smiled that devilish grin that was both insane and yet held an almost fatherly like emotion to it. "Listen up General Morotisan, you and your team are being sent out Europe under the sole purpose of finding and eliminating this man. Due to the…circumstances that have befallen our country, no…the continent itself, we need as much help as we can get. I don't know how the hell this bastard has gone so far, but he has to be stopped. Under the specialized jurisdiction of the European nations, we give you the responsibility to use 'Pinpoint Lifeline' under the most dire of circumstances."

"I see…" Garder said slowly. "How do you think your people will take such an idea?"

It was quite clear that nobody liked this idea one bit. Nobody would logically want to send their own innocent people to the slaughter house just to stop one man. "We will give safe havens to people." Garder didn't bother to retort because there was no reason to do so. It would be impossible for all those people to be granted new locations to survive in.

"There will be no use for this." Garder finally spoke up catching everyone off guard. "This idea is nothing more than a charade of weak minds who will so easily give up the lives of their own to stop a single man. I will personally stop Vladimir Cents myself if I must, without the use of this plan either. Just give me the supplies and troops needed and I will end this war without hesitation."

* * *

><p>"Burn everything." Cold words that escaped his lips, Vorono only nodded once without speaking before throwing the lit match into the complex. Someone was crying a small child that hung onto his leg either offensively or perhaps she was trying to get support from him. This was the third town they had to burn, after killing all of Cents men, as they came in closer and closer to their final destination, under the order of Garder F. Morotisan, they destroyed everything.<p>

"Mama and papa are still inside! Help them! Help them!" But as Vorono was about to help, Garder's intense voice stopped him in his track.

"You will cease your actions immediately Captain Girikuson."

"But sir! This girl's parents are…"

"People die, every day of every hour of every minute of every second Captain Girikuson. To support the world, sacrifices have to be made. A lot of people are going to die, for the sake of this world; a lot of innocent blood will be spilled. The world doesn't run on honor, pride or fairness. The world is a chaotic place that thrives on imperfections; therefore it is impossible to seek true happiness. To save ten, we must kill one, to save a hundred, kill ten, to save a million, kill thousands.

Men, women, children, of all ages, sexes, religions, personalities, fall under the category of reality. If you cannot grasp this realization Vorono, then you might as well stand inside the fires yourself."

This is the man who once stood proudly with his men, who loved his daughter from the very bottom of his heart. Now he stands with the light of empathy completely erased from his eyes. Blind to everything but the most logical perfections, he no longer sees the world in a view of purposeful happiness. He lacks compassion only filled with logic in which the strong survive and weak die off. To stop a man from killing millions, he kills thousands, because it is the only thing he can understand now. Wishes, prayers, such things are but illogical fallacies that idiots think of to try and make things better.

There will always be misery in the world, no matter where, no matter when no matter who or what may cause it, there will always be misery. Therefore, sometimes in a world of misery, one must also cause misery to negate a much larger threat. Therefore, Garder F. Morotisan was not trying to seek pain, or to send people to their deaths out of the cold truth that filled his once proud heart. But it is the mere fact that he can only see the world in a pitched black view of understanding, using only the most logical idea to spread his thoughts. For him, if he does not do this, then the war will never end. Even Vladimir Cents will have his own limit and when his supplies have been completely destroyed, he will at least have to come out of hiding.

Thus, as the child looks at him, begs him to save her parents, he does nothing. He does not even look at her, or even given notion that she even exists. That girl, unless she found salvation of her own, would die. She might even die alone, crying and damning his own existence. She will be sacrificed for the sake of humanity; she will die one day cursing the name of Garder F. Morotisan.

"PLEASE SOMEONE HELP THEM! HELP! HELP!"

"Girl…" She turns quickly, listening intently to Garder's words as he finally stared at her with his black slit eyes. He must have changed his mind; he's going to go help her parents right now. Her heart which was once stone cold now rises up with her face almost turning red and tears streaming down her face. If he goes now, she can forgive him for what he has done to her, her parents and her home as well as all of her friends and family.

"…If you do not shut your obnoxiously loud mouth this instant, then I will throw your corpse into the fires myself."

And any joy she might have felt was erased on the spot. Unable to control her emotions, she screamed shrilly, her voice ringing into the air. "MAMA! PAPA!" The sound of her turmoil nearly made Vorono vomit in disgust, most importantly; he felt terrible pity for his once good friend who would not even give the girl a passing glance again. Not even false hope, Garder has given his point blank view for the poor child and with everything gone; Vorono couldn't even stop the girl from pulling out a knife and slitting her own throat in despair.

"W-Wait! What are you…!"

"Cease your actions Captain Girikuson. She wished to leave the world, then so be it, it means nothing to us. The bodies will be buried and the excess flames destroyed by others. Our mission has not changed, we continue forward. If a place is under attack, then those there will be given the chance to leave. Those who fail to acknowledge this warning will suffer the consequences. There is no need to help out the weak minded, that girl wanted to die, then so be it. I have no time to deal with the problems of little girls who can't understand how the world works."

Nothing left to say, Vorono didn't bother speaking to Garder as he walked away with the rest of the ill-fated men, leaving only the half shaven haired man to gaze at the inferno before him. So in the end, this was the war that broke his friend, his daughter, perhaps already having been collected, was left with the final memory of a father who would rather murder her than love her. A fate so terrible that children themselves would rather slit their own throats then go through the terrors of not having a parent. Slowly walking to the young girl, there was nothing Vorono could do but bow his head, give a short, somewhat hasty entreaty to her soul and then closer her half open eyes to at least give her some sort of peace while in death.

"I'm sorry. I am…so sorry. I was supposed to help you. We we're supposed to help all of you. It was never supposed to be like this, but…" What else could he say? Nothing, the only thing he could do now is leave and pray that they got to Vladimir before they had to burn down a town and send a message of betrayal to the people they were once supposed to protect.

* * *

><p>But more were burned, and more died for the sake of destroying Vladimir's own army and their moral, the lives of others were destroyed. So as he sat down on his throne, with the last glass of Champaign from his stock slipping down his throat, Vladimir Cents gazed at the screens that were filled the sights of burning flesh. "Yo, anything else to drink?"<p>

"No, just a little bit of water, do you want some Master Cents?"

"Only water eh? What about food?"

"We are on our last provisions, there won't be enough for everyone else. We have no way to get more provisions and we are dangerously low here. In about two weeks, much of Armata Lui Dracul will starve to death."

Nodding once and yet never faltering his smile, Vladimir spun the empty goblet in his hand before placing it on his mouth despite not having a drop left. "The world is dreary and hellish place isn't my friends. So this is what Pinpoint Lifeline is, now I understand it completely. It's not just destroying supplies, it's also about destroying moral as well. My men are dying, their moral is dying, I am left with but the smallest crumbs will soon run out! It's almost like, the world is suffering eternally.

But I won't stop Garder, not even now. Until I cease to exist, I will always continue my desires. Even as they die, starve without food and dehydrate without liquids, my men will always follow me.

Now come!

Come on!

Come on and let's see who has the greatest desires. All you must do is walk forward, keep coming forward and you'll finally reach me! Come on! Come on! Come on! Burn all those around you, make my world crumble into a heap of flames and terror. Show me that great desire that you have, that the poor bastards around the world who do nothing but dream can see. Take your gun, put it against my head, and fire off a single shot!

Come on!

Come on!

Come on!

I have lived in a world of dreamers, but you're different from the rest of those ill forgotten fools. Step forward, again and again without hesitation like you've done all the way before! I want you to kill me Garder F. Morotisan, my greatest foe! My greatest rival! Come my friend and end this bastardization of a human life!"

And without further words, Vladimir exploded in a fit of laughter, clutching the edge of his throne and leaning forward as he laughed in pure joy. Nobody else joined in, nor did anybody feel contempt for the Twisted Relic as he guffawed loudly in the room, his voice echoing off every stone. Because Vladimir Cents heart is booming with indescribable joy, a world of suffering that he's always wanted, he will do everything to exemplify it. Yet to die by the hands of a man whose desires are just as great, no in this case, even greater than his own is splendid. Because nobody knew why, because he couldn't understand why he loved to murder and watch others including himself to suffer in agony, Vladimir Cents went on a journey to create a world of total and complete suffering.

He can't explain his own misunderstandings so if he can create a world where suffering is the norms of the world, his ideals will not be just some insane ramblings of a crazy bastard. That's why he has to create this dreaded utopia, because if he doesn't, he will forever live with himself as some sort of mistake. If he couldn't get people to understand his plight, then he had to create a world where his actions are no longer questioned but accepted.

But in a world of dreamers, where people give up so easily, to find a person with the same determination as his own was the greatest thing ever. Because it is was this lack of determination, that Vladimir Cents amassed the most powerful army the world had ever known.

"Come now, Garder, and let us have the final round…"

* * *

><p>Two months later, on the brisk dusk of a late Friday, the sound of boots finally hit the barren wasteland. Upon the skies they can see it, that which seems impossible to have been missed after all this time and yet somehow so terribly excessive that it seemed beyond reality, Garder and his men gaze at the black citadel of Cents. A lot of people surrounded the place and many before came from behind, leaving Garder the thought that some of them probably let them come to here. It could be true one way or the other, with the excessive damage that Pinpoint Lifeline committed, most of the enemy could not afford to lose any more people and probably joined on this spot to protect the final location. It was never doubt that Garder would arrive, it was just a matter of when.<p>

An estimation of about 4,000 men of the cloth stood around them, less than enough for Garder and his team to slaughter and even if it wasn't, now that the final location of Vladimir Cents had finally, after all those years, been discovered, they could tear the walls of the citadel down to the ground and drag Cents body out. To go this far, to be so determined, Garder at last as he sees the faces of his enemies that display not an ounce of regret, understood why they follow their leader.

…Because how could he himself, not find the same pride. Vladimir Cents was man who was dangerous, demented and who deserved to rot for everything he had done. Because of him, hundreds of thousands of people were murdered just so he could gain his own desires. Yet unlike Cents, he could never gain the true pride and loyalty that Cents had from his own men. They serve him, because they admire him, not his ideals but his own determination and the pure sake of his own desires. Those poor people who probably lived pathetically normal lives before, could look up to this man who never once gave up.

*TAK!* *TAK!* *TAK!*

Utterly loud and heavy, the sound of boots hitting the wasteland are the only thing Garder heard at the moment. The only thing he saw was the figure finally emerging from the large gates of his own home before finally stepping out. It might have been impossible to tell from the overweight onyx coat he wore, but Vladimir had lost quite a bit of weight from the lack of nutrition. All of it thanks to Garder and himself from destroying his supplies and putting his troops in desolation. Yet he can tell, even as he stands nearly 700 meters away, that the dark man was smiling broadly. In fact, he can even see the glint of brilliant happiness that radiates from his crimson eyes. Trying to shoot cents now was impossible, he was too far away.

Roaring out loud so that he can hear him, Vladimir declared the final call.

"BRAVO MY GREAT FOE! BRAVO! BRAVO! TO COME THIS FAR IS A FEAT NO OTHER HAS EVER DONE BEFORE! YOU'VE CROSS MANY HARDSHIPS AND DESPITE ALL OF THEM, YOU NEVER FALTER FOR ONCE! EVEN THE DEATHS OF YOUR OWN FAMILY DIDNN'T STOP YOU!"

He held his hand to his chest.

"COME ON GARDER F. MOROTISAN, END MY LIFE NOW!"

"…So be it then, all of you prepare your weapons. Anyone who stands in your way is to be killed instantly. All of you, charge."

Under his order, and under the idea that this will finally be the end, the wild roars of tens of thousands of men charge forth with guns aloft, some of them cursing their foes which made them go through so much. So as they come forth, ready to slaughter him and his men, Vladimir Cents licks the silver coin obscenely before biting it in half. The loud cry only falters Garder and his men for a split second, there was no time to hesitate now. Vladimir Cents was there, in person, for him his own hands to kill.

Mellissa was dead.

Nicholas was dead.

...

…

Veronica was dead.

Something is coming, heavy and over the horizon, it almost looked like a dust cloud was forming. A little more hesitation from the others but Garder only unsnapped the upper part of his uniform, even dropping his main weapons so that the only thing he wore was the thick military jeans. His chest is ripped and torn from the war, yet powerfully lean and his muscles showing easily. He picks up the pace, the sound of his own footsteps echoing in his ears, and only objection standing therefore him with his arms crossed. The cloud of dust being Vladimir Cents was getting larger, something was coming, something very dangerous. But he doesn't stop, he must go forward and kill Vladimir Cents or die trying.

"_**Brave soldiers who come towards me, I value thee courage!**_

_**But do not let ye foolish dreams believe your charge will remain unstoppable!**_

_**This is my world, my land, my desires that I will never stop until I cease to exist!**_

_**Now pause and look upon…ARMATA LUI DRACUL!"**_

A lot of people are going to die now, even Garder knows it. As he sees the black mass of men with medieval weapons aloft, he knows that a lot of people are going to die now. But he cares for nothing of them, even the outcries of his own men as some try to turn around retreat matter nothing to him. Even if Garder knew that the 200,000 men that charged him was only half of the true power of Armata Lui Dracul, he will always keep going forward. He has the most powerful army in the world, it's now extremely easy to understand how the man has taken over cities and destroyed so many lives so easily. Those black armored men must have been the pride of Cents army, the best of the best.

"Keep going! Spread out and aim carefully! They may be numerous but we are strong!" Vorono gives his order, trying to raise moral as the black wave of death approaches. A little closer, a little closer, just enough for the bullet to hit. In normal respects, there should be no way that Cents' Armata Lui Dracul should be able to take on 21st century weapons. But it becomes a much different story when the foe has outnumbered the allies in a six to one ratio. The true power of Armata Lui Dracul lied in its overwhelming power and numbers, to eventually crush the enemy with its might.

Gunshots rung in his ears as Garder once again quickened the pace, coming towards the mass of iron weapons before finally pulling out the serum and injecting it. The effect was almost instantaneous, his muscles constrict, his blood flow increases and his vision turns black. Even then he did not falter, but increased the pace more and more, his body reaching levels that no normal human should be able to reach. Faster, stronger, the only man now capable of actually taking on the wave of destruction before him. But he's not going for the army, his mind has tracked the person in the back and no matter how many men come at him, even if Armata Lui Dracul was at its complete best, he would still continue forward to the Twisted Relic.

Forward, to the end of the line. Forward to the final destination of the damning war. Blind to everything but certainty, over a year worth of fighting this war would now come to an end.

Then at last, the first sword came to him. He moved to the left, avoiding the attack completely as the swarm continues forward to his own men while the left flank moves over to intercept him. His speed is beyond any human, he can register all attacks, all movements, all location and all settings instantaneously. Though blind, Garder's instincts and amazing hearing allowed him to view the world in the most perfect way possible. He doesn't need to see the enemy to know where they are. He can register the open spaces where gaps are formed though said gaps easily closed before he could make his move. He quickly gripped the pin of the first grenade and threw it into the horde, hearing the explosion and racing towards the opening. Now with the survivors closing in all him, Morotisan was effectively trapped. Sure enough, he would be skewered by thousands of blades…

…If he was using the powers of a normal human at the time. Vladimir, his blood colored eyes starring jovially as Garder's body swerved around and decimated his opponents in a blood shattering display of speed and power. If 21st century armory failed to stop those inhuman attacks, what good could lesser amour do against them? The General blew through his enemies with the ease of cutting a knife through butter; his hands tore apart limbs and heads by the sheer force of the serum he had ingested. But it is still tens of thousands of men that constantly swarm like angry bees around him. Even as his own grenades blew body parts into the air, a new set of blades and spears were ready.

"Archers! Fire!" Under the command of their leader, the stream of arrows were launched into the sky. He can hear them, the thousands of black tipped arrows racing towards him. Retreating is impossible, he can only avoid getting hit in a lethal spot and continue forward. The mass of darkness that was Armata Lui Dracul spread out to intercept him and his grenades blows them apart in another wave of bloodshed. Such stench is great, but as usual he doesn't care about it, only the crossed armed man standing in the back, waiting for him is the only thing he cared about.

Would Armata Lui Dracul have fared any better at its full potential? Garder even now was able to slip and turn, his own fists killing and his grenades destroying. It was this continuous determination that made Cents so proud. In comparison to his power, only that man was capable of rivaling him.

"Everyone, fire near Garder's location, let him have an opening!" Vorono cried out, his assault rifle firing into the horde of enemies with everyone else. Garder, the man who once held such pride in his eyes was now nothing more than a logical killer. If he can kill Vladimir Cents, then maybe he'll gain a little bit of his past back, the past of the good times. Either way, even Vorono couldn't stand that man over there, because of him, not only have peopled died, entire emotions have been destroyed as well. As the bullets turn foe into mincemeat, Garder finally gets the opening he needed.

Now, he must only sprint towards the final enemy and end his life.

Forward!

Forward!

Vladimir pulls out the longest rod from his shoulder, giving it a quick jerk as the double edged Azıklı Voyvoda spear was gripped in his hands. This war, that he created for the purpose of trying to make a world of perfect suffering, he always knew he would win. He always saw everyone as dreamers and while it was fun, the war ultimately became boring. But not anymore, for the first time ever, he found somebody with the same determination as his own. Wouldn't it be great, to die by the hands of such a powerful will? Wouldn't it be splendid if his last act of breathing was due to a man who finally woken up from his dreams and now struck him with pure desires? People are weak, easy to bend and always seek dreams instead of desires. Only a select few are actually strong enough to keep going, like him, like Garder, so how could he not experience absolute joy at the moment while his body charges forward with his spear held at the back?

He is strong, far too strong, that man who ripped Armata Lui Dracul is indeed the greatest soldier ever. He can calculate any attack, foresee any movement, a general who knows his attackers, his attacks, his defense, even his wounds are being ascertained. He knows he can't avoid all the attacks, not even with the power of the serum running through his body, but he knows where he needs to be to avoid lethal blows. Wouldn't it be great to die by his hands, spilling up blood and suffering from his final attack?

This man, General Garder Ferajhan Morotisan…was truly the perfect soldier.

Garder reached Vladimir far sooner than the latter, yet Cents still raised his spear, and gave it a thrust, the edge of the weapon not even coming close to hitting the elderly man. With the first attack missed, Garder turned on the spot, and rammed into his fist Vladimir's face. Due to the experiments that Vladimir had done with Mellissa, what should've torn his head clear off, instead blew him back, the attack dangerous but not completely mortal. Still, his body tore across the ground, his vision going in and out before he finally managed to grip the ground and stop his flight, head low on the ground. If he wanted to relax, Garder didn't allow him, the incorrigible man got just a glimpse of the blind eyes before…

*BAM!*

"Guah!" More blood, the second blow spins him around in a complete circle before his heavy body hit the ground with a resounding boom. He's coming again, he can't react fast enough to stop him and the third blow smashes through any measly defense Vladimir created and his body was sent hurtling through the doorway of his own gate. Sliding on the ground painfully, he stopped just short of the doorway that lead into the inside of his citadel.

"Keh…Kehehehe…hehehe…I can't eve hit him. I can't even touch him and his eyes, he's been fighting blind this entire time. Guah…agh…my body is pain. Blood is flowing through my mouth, my ribs, how many are broken? But this pain, I can't let it get to me, not until I die, will I ever stop!

…Not enough!

THIS IS NOT ENOUGH!"

Ignoring the pain, ignoring his own broken bones and ripped veins that should have destroyed a normal man, Vladimir Cents stands up, his body bent slightly forward before making another mad sprint to his worthy opponent. Garder, sensing the attack prepared himself and just like before dodged the horizontal slash of the black blade and rammed his fist against Vladimir's left arm. The bone cracks and yet his grip on his own spear doesn't loosen, in fact he gripped it even tighter. The spear lunges forward, stabbing, slashing, all of his attacks worthless and yet he doesn't stop for a second even if his own body is being torn up.

*BOOM!*

A strong hit, Vladimir's body was forced forward from the punch to his own gut and unable to keep his balance he was going to fall to his knees until Garder's hand gripped the scruff of his coat and lifted him back up to head level. While the dark man smiled happily, pleased to have such a fight, there is no joy in the colorless eyes of Garder. This is the man who ruined the lives of everyone, including himself. Because of him, he even lost his own daughter. Vladimir Cents, the man who will never stop until he breathes his last breath, the bastard of a human life will have to die. He must die, here and now, for all the misery he had caused, his life must be extinguished. Without Armata Lui Dracul to back him up, Vladimir had no chance against Garder while he was using his serum, but that didn't change the sensation of greatness that surged through his heart.

*BOOM!*

"Guah!"

*BOOM!*

"Buagh!"

With every attack against his body, Vladimir Cents coughed up more and more blood until he found his body being smashed against the walls of his citadel. The war was fun, now he can finally be killed by Garder, a worthy opponent and if he's lucky, maybe he'll go to hell and be tortured for eternity. The world had gone quiet, Vorono and the very few surviving members of Garder's team watched almost transfixed along with the rest of Armata Lui Dracul as Garder pulled out the pistol that he had used to kill Veronica and place it on Vladimir's forehead who lay slumped on the ground, his body all but completely broken. The color was finally returning to Garder's eyes and there Vladimir could finally see the unadulterated coldness in his pupils. A single shot from that gun would blow his brains right out of his skull.

"Vladimir Cents…" There is nothing but pure hatred in his voice, only matched by those black slit eyes he pressed the gun harder. The only thing he can see now, is the most vile person in the world, for over a year he had sought him out. Now, with his gun pointed to his cranium, he can finally end this bastard's life.

…

…

But he doesn't, instead Garder pulled his gun away, pocketed it and turned away. Vladimir, unable to comprehend what happened, just stared as the back of Garder as he walked away before finally yelling out. "What are you doing Garder! Come back here and shoot me! You came so far, you can't just turn around stop now after…get back here!" He doesn't believe it, for the first time Vladimir Cents was expressing true regret and sorrow and more importantly disbelief at what he was seeing.

"I will not kill you Vladimir Cents, even though you deserve it, even though you should die, I won't give you that satisfaction."

He wasn't saying such stupid things. So, for the very first time, Vladimir Cents completely lost his dark nature and began to plead to the old General.

"Garder, I beg of you, don't do this. You've come this far, gone past the greatest obstacles I have thrown at you and not once have given up. Please don't do this, come back, place the gun against my head and end my life. You've come too far to give up now, you can't stop now, come on! Shoot me!" For Vladimir Cents, Garder was the only person that he ever held any sort of connection towards. If anything, he was perhaps the only person he could even see as a friend. Vladimir was alone, no friends, no family, only himself, incorrigible. Nobody, not even his own men could understand his feelings, they just followed him blindly. But Garder, he was different, the only person who deserved to have his full admiration.

"…Unforgivable…"

Something had now snapped inside Cents, his teeth ground tightly and he finally started to pick himself up. He no longer cared about the war, or about his own desires at the moment. He didn't care about his own wounds, or his past.

"...I will…never…forgive you…"

Because he had lost the closest thing to him. He had lost the only thing he had ever admired, desires as great as his own. He would have loved it more than ever to have died by Garder's hands, because such powerful will deserved to kill him. But there was no longer any respect in him for the man who was walking away.

"You bastard…you bastard...you bastard…

…

…

"GYYYYYYYAAAAAGGGHHH!" Bellowing Vladimir Cents completely lost his own self to a fit of unrestrained anger. Never before had he felt so angry, so infuriated so mortally wounded and tearful than now. His own tears splattered his face as he lost the closest thing ever and now only felt pure hatred for Garder F. Morotisan. He charged, unconcerned with such mundane things as bodily pain. He raised his spear and charged without hesitation, aiming for the death of the bastard who would give up so easily, after coming that far.

It was unforgivable!

Vorono took action, trying to stop Vladimir's assault only to find the spear ram into his side and then thrown aside.

"GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY!" Garder finally stopped, once again utilizing the serum then turning around and charged forward. The two opponents, with the fire burning in their eyes raced forth to intercept once another. Vladimir Cents tearfully roared at him, feeling abandoned, feeling betrayed, he for the only time was crying. He hates him, more than any other person in the world. He hates him, that man named Garder F. Morotisan.

**"GARDER**_**!" **_The very sound is filled to the brink with hatred. He doesn't care if his own attacks don't hit, he doesn't care that he's being blown back again. As long as he stands, he will make this bastard pay for giving up so easily. He will make him pay for being a worthless dreamer like the rest.

The only thing that stopped Cents from continuing his charge is his own men that pull him back. Their loyalty is great, far better than Garder's men to himself, but Cents attempted to fight back, wishing with all of his might to return to the battle. Morotisan only watched as Cents lost everything, spitting and trying to get back to him. The war was over, he doesn't need to kill Cents now, it will be nearly impossible for him to get back to original position in the war. Whatever remnants he has left will remain here; let him do whatever he wants with them.

No, the truth is, he can't kill him. He is the strongest soldier in the world, perhaps the strongest man in the world. But he has also lost everything, his hope, his faith, his own self-respect, even his honor has been completely shattered. Never before had he ever felt more defeated in his entire life. Therefore, as much as he wants to kill Cents, he can't do it, because if he does, he will truly lose everything. He can only hold to the final bit of his own past, the only thing he has left.

Vorono, holding his side was the only one left alive as he looked from the straining Vladimir and the retreating Garder.

"LET ME GO YOU FOOLISH BASTARDS! LET ME GO SO I CAN KILL THAT DREAMING BASTARD!"

"I am sorry Master Cents, but you must stay here for now."

"Kuh…gah…bastard…you bastard…foolish dreaming bastard…

"_**GARDER! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! DREAMING BASTARDS WHO DARE TO RUIN MY DESIRES! I'LL NEVER LET YOU ESCAPE YOUR FATE, AS LONG AS I BREATHE, AS LONG AS I EXIST, I'LL TURN YOUR WORLD INTO A LIVING HELL!**_

_**EVERY ONE YOU KNOW, I'LL SEND TO THE PITS OF ETERNAL SUFFERING, I'LL OPEN UP THE WORLD OF MISERY AND CAST EVERYTHING YOU WILL EVER HOLD DEAR INSIDE! **_

_**UNFORGIVABLE, YOU DREAMING FOOL WHO WOULD DARE TO GIVE UP YOUR OWN DESIRES! I'LL NEVER STOP, NO MATTER HOW FAR I'M BEATEN, I'LL NEVER SURRENDER!**_

_**DO YOU HEAR ME! **_

…_**GARDER FERAJHAN MOROTISAN!"**_

Garder however, did give him one last glare before speaking words that sent a chill down Cents spine.

"I will never let your desires win. You speak of such petty things but in truth you are nothing more than another dream."

!

But there was one thing Garder did want to do, he crossed over and stepped inside Cents' citadel, coming across a group of people who gave him a casual glance. None of them attack him, or attempt to attack him, or so much as give him a reason for them to attack him. It's almost like they were expecting him the entire time. He gazes at the throne for a moment until finally looking at the large screen. Vladimir Cents was able to create a vast network due to many video tapes around Europe, all of which wirelessly linked to this location. He needed to completely destroy these tapes and to do so, he had to know their locations. "You are the man named Garder F. Morotisan."

"Aye." He answered the voice, whoever it might have been.

"Do you understand now why we follow Master Cents?"

"…Aye…" He replied simply again.

And thus, Garder's war with Cents was over…and the war with himself began.

* * *

><p>"<em>The European nations have slowly began to build themselves back up after the perils of the war. The United Nations are collaborating in helping out the survivors attain new homes as Europe is rebuilt to its formal glory. The death toll for the war has reached a total of over 4.5 million deaths for the past four years, it has been a most terrible time. The whereabouts of the enemy leader, Vladimir Cents, remains unknown at the moment. A search is still going on though unless he reappears again, the search will be called off…."<em>

Karoly Sandersas breathed in and out, standing over one of his patience in the small Hungarian town. So it was finally over, this terrible war that terrible man created. He would soon give his family a call back in Japan, maybe even visit them soon too. The television continued to play and he was sure he wasn't the only one who felt relieved right now.

"Finally, we can rest now." His patient muttered. Smiling at the remark, Mr. Sandersas agreed. "Yes, so true. I didn't think this war would ever end. I sent my wife and son to Japan to help them get away from this terror."

"I'm glad they got out, my wife was killed."

"I am sorry for your loss."

Garder entered into the hospital room wearing a large brown coat and a pair of horned rimmed glasses. His bound wounds covered by his shirt, Vorono followed swiftly behind. Maybe Garder had long ago lost himself to the tortures of Cents and this war, but he wouldn't leave him alone. He would stand by his friend's side and help him find a new, happier life. Before leaving though, Vorono had at least persuaded Garder to see the body of his daughter be buried. He stood at the short funeral procession, his eyes cold and empty like before. Then he told Vorono to wait for him.

Vladimir Cents perked his weakened head up as Garder stepped inside, his red eyes displaying nothing but contempt for the man. But with body being held together by multiple medical equipment, and dark regret in his heart, Cents only stared angrily without attacking again.

"Where is the body of Nicholas Vega?"

Cents narrowed his eyes then painfully lifted his arms and pointed to the left. Sure enough there was Nicholas's deceased body. It would only be good, if the man was buried alongside his wife as well. "That man should be buried along with his wife Veronica. Will you bring the body to the burial location?"

"…You have some nerve asking me for a favor, Garder."

Then surprisingly, Vladimir nodded his head. "The body will be brought by one of my…unarmed…men." He put delicate emphasis on the second to final word. The pure look of tiredness on Cents face erased any sort of lie that he might have been planning. He was too weak to lie right now, he might have just wanted to rest more than anything else. He leaned back again, sighing and speaking again.

"Unless you have something else to say, leave now, while I can restrain myself from butchering you."

"Vladimir Cents, the Incorrigible."

"Garder F. Morotisan, the perfect soldier." The man muttered coldly, no longer looking at the elderly general. Maybe it was now that Garder finally understood the true kind of person that Vladimir Cents was.

"I am heading off to Japan, to see about these Diclonius. I don't plan on coming back here either, unless you start something. But I will never kill you, I won't give you that satisfaction. Still, your knowledge on the subject of Diclonius is good, better than mine at least."

"Either get to the point, or leave while I can resist the urge to kill you." Cents growled. Garder didn't reply back, he left without saying a single word back.

Now there was only one thing left to do as he entered into the hospital. A young black haired nurse came in, asking if he needed any assistance.

"Where is Ilya Quetzerlot Vega being held?"

"Oh, I heard about her mother and father." The nurse spoke sadly. "Please come with me, she's currently resting in her crib." Following the nurse across two hallways, Garder was lead into the room where he finally gazed down at the small baby sleeping silently in her crib. The slit eyes glared at the two protrusions out of her head and without hesitating, pulled his pistol out and aimed. The screams of the nurse and outcry of Vorono did not lessen his grip on the trigger. This girl was just like the others, just like Mellissa, just like Veronica, those horned girls called Diclonius. She would never be able to live a normal life, she would have to die here and now before she could suffer and before she could make others suffer as well.

*BANG!*

The nurse screamed and covered her head, only realizing a few seconds later that Garder had fired at the ground and not at the baby. Nicholas had made a remark that somewhere in Japan horned girls like these were being taken. Maybe he couldn't find it himself to kill her just yet, but he would go to Japan, bring Ilya with him and deal with while he was over there. The rest of his family was in Japan anyways, why not go there, and be greeted by his loved ones? Does he even have loved ones anymore? Can he even love anymore? He looked at the small girl, still sleeping soundly, the poor child who would never see happiness again, a thought suddenly appeared inside Garder's head.

"Are you happy?" He didn't know why he thought it, but he answered himself nonetheless. "What do you think…?" He would let Vorono take care of Ilya for him until he decided her fate himself. If he kept her, then he would probably end up killing her anyways. He had no other things to say or do, he didn't even want to look at the baby anymore.

He only wanted to go home.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Finally got the chapter done. In reality it only took a few days to get this done but I've been so busy these past few days that I've only got around to working on it recently. This massive text of a chapter marks the end of the first half of Pinpoint Zero. What will happen next as the story continues into the second half. Please enjoy.<p>

R&R


	21. Settings For Nihility

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 21: Settings For Nihility**

Garder stepped off the jet with the tail end of his brown long coat hovering aimlessly in the soft Japanese wind. Everything about it, from its culture, to its architecture, right down to the very air was vastly different from South America. His knowledge on the Japanese culture while not great, was more than passable and considering he would now be spending his life here, he would only get to know it better. Thanks to his younger half-brother, he was able to learn a lot about Japan anyways, as of now, he could only learn more. But he was no longer here to learn about customs or traits, what he needed to do was to find out the location of that place that did studies on Diclonius. However the very first thing he had to do was meet his family.

"Garder! It's so good to have you back!" Where warmth flowed from the very heart of Jessica Alya, Garder felt nothing but coldness in his own. As she gazed at him with a heartwarming smile, her happy demeanor slowly diminished as she saw his darkened face. She looked past his brown coat and even the horned rimmed glasses and saw the colorless world in his eyes. Soon enough his half-brother, Ishori, came out brining the same heartwarming welcome then upon seeing his brother's face, instantly quelled. Garder at first didn't say anything he stepped inside leaving the two bewildered and most notably, confused that nobody was following behind him. Their home on the outside has a very natural Japanese look, right down to the slanted roofs and high windows but the insides took a mixed collection of Eastern and Western compositions. He sat down in a large recliner, folding his legs and staring forward without blinking. This home, this smell, it had absolutely no meaning to him, even in the most docile of locations he felt empty inside.

"_I will never forgive you! You dreaming bastard who dare to ruin my desires! As long as I live, as long as I exist, I will turn your world into a living hell! Everything you know, everything you love, everything you've ever held dear to you, I'll cast it into the abyss!"_

He had lost that fight, he had lost himself, and the only thing he could hold onto was the last bit of memory of his good past. He couldn't lead his men, he couldn't lead his friends, even his daughter, the person most precious to him, could not be saved. He may have beaten Cents in a physical fight, but he had lost the war of willpower. That man, that cold, dark, murderer, had never given up, even for a second. He had believed with all of his soul that as long as he continued, as long as he lived and always believed, he would eventually reach his goals. Those servants obeyed him, because they admired such willpower and determination.

He had lost, fully and completely.

"Where is Veronica and Nicholas?"

"They are both dead, they didn't survive the war." Garder answered the shocked Jessica who covered her mouth. Ishori went to his wife, sitting her against the couch to comfort her as she wept softly into his shoulder. "Both of their bodies have been buried." He spoke simplistically, not a tone of sadness, regret or even emotion out of his voice. His brother Ishori did not speak of it, but he gave Garder a long look, wondering why he was being so calm about it. No, he wasn't being calm about it, he just lacked any concern or emotions that would give calmness.

"I'm so sorry to hear about them, if only they could see our beautiful little Elrya right now." That was correct, their baby had been born some time back, maybe a new life would take some of the pressure off of Garder. "Let me see her." At Garder's words, Jessica got up, sniffing softly into her hand but tried to wipe her tears away. She didn't want her baby girl to see her mother in such a state.

"What happened out there?" Alone with his brother, Ishori had to ask the quick question that was grinding on his nerves ever since he had seen the state of his brother. Garder didn't look at him, merely leaned back in the chair and pushed the horned rimmed glasses further up his nose. "War happened, people die, every day, it is nothing to be concerned about." But it was something to be concerned about, this wasn't even a deal of shell-shock. Garder had completely changed, his emotions were dead, and his thoughts perfectly strict yet lacking pride as it had before. What stood before him was just a shell, a dank, empty, emotionless shell. At last Jessica stepped in, holding a bundle in her arm and bringing it up to them as Garder finally stepped up to see her.

"Don't be loud, she's still sleeping." She whispered happily before Garder finally got to see the pride and joy for his brother and his wife. Everything, right down to the two small horns protruding from her head. He didn't hesitate, the quick flash of his gun being removed and the click of the muzzle before both parents cried out in fear and outrage. Garder took aim, his finger just moments from pulling the trigger to blow off the girl's head and even a part of her mother's body. This child could not live a normal life, it would be impossible for her. Even if she went for years without trouble, she would eventually become like the rest.

…Like Mellissa…

…Like Veronica.

Garder glared at this small baby girl, sleeping soundly and without care in her mother's arms. He kept the pistol tightly aimed against her head until something finally pushed the baby out of his way and something stood in front of him. Ishori, staring with both revulsion and confusion stood between his baby and his brother while the latter narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Move out of the way, Ishori, the child has to be killed."

"What are you talking about Garder! Are you seriously telling me that you're going to shoot my child! What the hell is wrong with you, what has she done!" It was hard to tell if Ishori was angry with his brother or perhaps frightened that Garder was doing such an insane thing. The slit eyed man did not budge his hand, nor did he even take a look at the whimpering Jessica who glanced between the two men.

"Move aside Ishori Alya, you understand nothing of the situation."

"Then tell me what the fucking situation is!"

Garder paused then spoke darkly. "At some point your daughter will grow up to be a killer, a being unable to control her own emotions. She'll kill you, your wife, everyone around her when she loses control. She must be put down before such a thing can happen." If Garder's actions and words had been confusing before, both parents now looked at him as if he struck them blind, deaf and dumb. Jessica, still crying, merely started to pray that the situation would be subverted somehow. The baby in her arms started to move, crying softly as if sensing the danger around her as well.

"If you do not move, then I will kill you here on the spot and murder the child and her mother too if have to."

Words, cold as ice said to members of his own family. Because for Garder F. Morotisan, the world only runs on the prospect of logical understanding. Things like emotion, understanding, regret, dependability, all of it was erased when he finally shot through the head the woman called Veronica Q. Morotisan. In truth, he holds no abhorrence for Elrya Alya. He does not feel disgust with her, or distaste or a single pint venom towards her. She is just a child, unable to alter or even understand her own fate. The child holds no sin to herself and yet by her own nature, she is a sin. He doesn't hate her, but by the logical reasoning that now flows through his head, she is a manifestation of trouble that must be ended. In his mind, she must be killed to save humanity. Because he himself is human, just an old human man who follows only the most logical of reasons.

"Garder, brother, please tell me what's going on? We're family, what exactly is wrong with my daughter? Is it her horns? It's just like Veronica and the doctors said it's only a minor bone mutation. Her hair itself will probably grow over them anyways." Ishori pleaded, staring at the barrel of the gun and swallowing deeply.

"When your daughter grows up, at some point in her life she will get the urge to kill humans. She will be unable to control or even stop these urges. Whether she likes it or not, she will eventually give into these urges. If you want to have both the pain of others and the pain of your daughter to done in before it gets worse, than you will move out of the way." But even on his threat, Ishori didn't move. He shook, he sweated, and he swallowed constantly as if he had a lump in his throat, but he didn't move. Maybe the only reason Garder didn't shoot him, was because he had already shot enough of his own family. His dark gaze didn't not falter, but his pistol did, lowering to his side, he turned tail, walking towards the door. For a moment, he thought about saying something, perhaps along the lines of how things hadn't changed. How their daughter was still going to be dealt with at some point. Yet, he gave an exasperated sigh, then walked out the doors.

Elrya finally calmed down, laying against her mother she finally fell asleep yet even though she relaxed, both parents were at a loss for words. "Ishori, you should talk to him, see what's going on. Maybe he's just having a hard time, his daughter did die as well." Her husband gave the same exasperated sigh as his brother, collapsed into the chair with his hand over his face. Things had change so much the moment he came back, not just his attitude but the entire way the world felt to Ishori. In his life he had always been a lazy but kind hearted fellow but now he felt not only lazy, but weak hearted. Maybe because his older half-brother was always the one who was confident, powerful and assertive. Garder was the one who would speak to him about problems that he, Ishori, might be having.

"What do I tell him though Jessica? You saw what happened, he didn't even hesitate to point his gun at Elrya. The worst part about it, is I believe he may have had a point." It was surprising that Jessica softly jerked her baby away as if Ishori too was going to attack her. Noting his wife's angst, Ishori tried to calm her down. "I will never do anything to hurt our daughter, you know that Jessica. It's just that, my brother has always been a caring and wise man but he's also been through countless wars. He's seen friends and comrades die all the time and it never shook him to his core. Even if Veronica was killed in the war, it would probably take some toll on him but it would never put him that state that we saw him. It's not like he's in shellshock or some other war related emotion, he's just gone.

But he hasn't lost his intelligence, I can see it, he hasn't gone insane or anything."

He glanced over at Elrya, slowly reaching over to caress her hair. "How could this child, grow up to be anything but the sweeting girl possible? But Garder said that when she grew up, she would start killing people."

"Do you actually believe that?" Jessica asked morbidly.

Sighing again, Ishori stared longingly at his daughter than replied. "I don't want to believe it but my brother has never been an idiot, he's been far more intelligent than I ever was. He would never say such a thing without some sort of reasoning to it. I don't know why he would ever want to do it, but something happened, during that war, that caused him to be like this. Something happened, that never happened in any other battle before. He's changed Jessica, something in him has changed, or…maybe even vanished.

I'll go outside, if he's still there I'll talk to him, though I don't know what exactly I can say." Ishori however wasn't long, he came back in, shaking his head and uttered. "He's already left, when I meet him again, then I'll talk to him."

His wife only nodded solemnly, putting Elrya back in her crib. As a mother, Garder's actions were unforgivable, but at the same time, he was also part of the family. If it wasn't for him, none of them would have been able to live as well as they did. Just like her husband, she too wondered and worried about the old General.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in the country, experiments were being done on Diclonius. Obviously such a place has to be either well hidden physically or most possibly, hidden in a more mental sense. Getting an idea, he closed his eyes and abandoned his senses. He drowned out the outside noise, the mundane speeches of people talking and concentrated to that only a single set of words could truly reach his mind. Words like "horned girls" or "Diclonius".<p>

…

…

"…Diclonius…" The words, a whisper finally reached him. It actually caught him a bit off guard that he would find someone so quickly. Turning around the person who had whispered the word, seemingly to himself as no one else was around him was a young man perhaps in his early 30s sitting on the end of a bench with his legs crossed. It was hard to tell if he was man who had been through hardships and now getting his act together, or a man who had once had his act together and was now going through hardships. Perhaps both at the same time, but it didn't matter how the man was feeling, nobody knew such a term as "Diclonius" unless they actively knew what they were.

Riku glanced up, trying to put on a smile and greeting the elderly man who came before him. "Good evening sir, is there something I can help you with?"

"Indeed, you just mentioned the word "Diclonius."

Riku startled. "H-How do you know about that? Are you one of the staff members for one of the other facilities?" With five different facilities, it wasn't like Riku kept tracked of all those who were part of Kakuzawa's agenda. Hell, he had had hard enough time remembering everyone who worked in his own facility. He was actually more frightened that this man had caught on to his activities involving the release of a few Diclonius. For the past months he had been quietly releasing one or two Diclonius out in the open to atone for his sins and telling others that they had died during scrimmages. It was a legitimate lie as it wasn't uncommon for some Diclonius, some who still had a little bit of willpower left, to go against their assailants and act aggressively. He knew perfectly well that if they found out what he was doing, the chance of them letting him live was slim to none. That didn't bother him, such mundane things like death no longer had a meaning to Riku anymore. More than once, every time he released one of the horned girls, he wished they would attack him and end his pain. But at the same time, he had to live for his wife and daughter's sake, that's what scared him. He had no qualms in dying, but he was afraid that his wife and daughter would be put in danger if people found out what he was doing.

"No, I am not. But I am interested in seeing what these facilities have to offer. You will bring me to it now and let me look at it."

Riku was obviously confused. The only people who knew about the facility and what it did, where those who directly worked in or for the facility itself. Could someone else have let such a thing slip and this man had overheard it as well? "You should forget ever hearing about that. I don't know where you heard that…story…from, but none of it is true. Please, I have to get going." In a hurried rush, Riku got off the bench and walked away, swallowing when he heard the footsteps behind him. Sure enough the elderly man was following him, his expression as dark and emotionless as before.

"Listen to me, you have no idea what you're getting into right now. You have no idea…"

"Be quiet." Garder didn't yell it and spoke it so calmly one might not have been able to hear it. But for Riku, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks with his mouth hanging slightly open. "Do not question my intelligence on the matter, I understand more than enough right now. There are places, apparently facilities that work in line in capturing and studying horned people known as Diclonius who are capable of producing invisible objects with strange properties. I have more than once had to deal with them myself. I wish to see these facilities and even take part of the work there.

You will show it to me now. Are you the head of these facilities?"

Riku shook his head. "No, not directly, though I am the head of one of the facilities. Ugh, this is the first time someone ever directly came to me and asked to be a part of this mess. Even if I show you the facility, it wouldn't help anything, it's not like I can let you work there out of the blue. It takes, special operations for anyone to get in and once you get in, nobody gets out. Honestly, you're lucky you met me, anyone else would have had you shot for knowing such information. Do you have a pen and piece of paper?"

Garder did and gave them to Riku who quickly wrote something down. "This is the number for my boss, I should warn you though, and he's not exactly the friendliest person. Now if you don't mind, I need to get going, please don't follow me." Garder watched as the man left, knowing well the number was real and then made the call.

"Hello." The voice that answer even as a simple gesture of answering held a note of arrogance to it. It felt little from someone saying "Hello" and some saying "Who the fuck are you and more importantly why the fuck should I care?"

"My name is Garder F. Morotisan, Ex-General of the South American Military force. I am here to speak to you about the issues involving your facilities. I wish to partake in these experiments with the Diclonius."

"Tsk, how do you know about that?"

"How I know is of no concern, but trust me when I say I know more than enough. I am offering my services to your facilities. How about we meet somewhere and talk about this in greater detail." Asking wasn't an issue, somehow, due to the other man's reaction, Garder knew this man would meet him. Something shuffled on the other line, papers, a body, who knew and for Garder, who cared?

"Fine, fine." The man on the other end gave a place to meet and then hung up without saying another word. Garder could understand what the other man meant by his boss not being a friendly person.

* * *

><p>The morning air was thin and comfortable as Garder pushed the door open to the small coffee shop, grabbed a newspaper and sat down at the end booth before pushing his glasses up his nose casually. Ordering his hot coffee, his slowly sipped it as he waited for his "guest" to arrive, reading up on anything interesting, things such as unexplained deaths. Nothing out of the ordinary and ten minutes later, he heard the door open and someone finally sit down on the opposite end of the booth.<p>

"So you must be him, the Head Director of the Diclonius facility…" Garder muttered softly, placing the paper down. "…Kakuzawa." The man before him had to be in the same age as Garder, give or take a few in a clean suit yet giving off an aura of absolute dominance and arrogance. Everything, from his hair (Which Garder noticed to be slightly off, indicating that it was a wig though he wouldn't know until later what it hid) right down to his clean brown suit, said "pride and arrogance." His eyes were piercing and his mouth set into a short but very tight frown. It was clear the moment that Garder saw him that this man not only gave off the aura of the master, he expected everyone else to share the same views.

"I'm going to get to the point, I am under the knowledge that you are the head of some sort organization that works with Diclonius. I wish to seek business with you in understanding these people."

Kakuzawa ordered his own coffee and gave Garder a long , hardened look as if to trying to decipher him somehow. "How do you know about them?" Even his question was more of a demand but it didn't matter to the old General, he wasn't here to partake in who was more dominant than the other. "During the war, I had witness them during combat and heard things over here. Perhaps things that most people would not have taken kindly too."

Kakuzawa narrowed his eyes suspiciously, unable to tell if Garder was merely giving facts or actually threatening him. Either way, as a man who had always held higher ground he felt almost insulted that this other man was trying to speak to him as if they were equals. "Pray tell me…" He paused.

"Garder. Garder F. Morotisan."

"Yes…yes, pray tell me, Morotisan-san, what thinks I have done anything wrong? I merely run an, important company under the order of figuring out human evolution. The Institution of Human Evolution, something I created a few years ago, and nothing more. Certainly there is no problems to be had."

Another sip before Garder replied. "Do not be mistaken Kakuzawa, I am not an idiot, I can bet that if I collected a few people and had them check out your so called facilities, things would not go nearly as well for you." This time Kakuzawa knew the man was threatening him and he didn't take kindly to it one bit. Clenching his fist, he spoke in a dark tone that threatened to break if Garder continued to antagonize him anymore. "You should learn to keep your nose out of other people's business, especially ones that don't concern you."

"..But that is not what I'm here for. I already told you that I wish to partake in your facility's business. I wish to test and experiment on the Diclonius to understand how they work."

"…Hm, can I trust you not to breathe a word of we do?" For Kakuzawa, if Garder actually did decide to screw him up, then he could easily get him kill, at least he believed so. But there was always some use for more faculty members especially in the Tokyo facility. Too many of the Diclonius there had been acting up, needing to be put down by Riku. Garder nodded curtly and Kakuzawa folded his hands after taking a sip of his own ordered coffee. "Then we have a deal, Morotisan-san, I want you to come to this address here. You should understand that I would want to make certain preoccupations did not happen."

"Of course Kakuzawa, I will be there in the morning. I have no more words to speak to you. I hope business goes well between us." Garder muttered, paying for his meal and leaving the room. Kakuzawa glared at him, and without even meaning too, Garder had directly struck the old man's pride. For the man who believed himself superior to everyone, having someone try to speak to him as an equal was unforgivable but he was also an interesting and resourceful man. The kind of pawn that would make spreading the line of Diclonius much easier than before.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: And the story now continues. I'm done with my hiatus and now deliver the chapter. Please R&amp;R.<p>

On a secondary note, if anyone is willing to beta-read the chapters to fix up the grammatical mistakes, please sent a message. Obviously I would go to the "Beta Readers" section of but the thing is, the last time I did it, my beta-reader did 4 chapters total and never appeared again. I'm not here for that, I want a person who can at least do one chapter a week.


	22. Through The Black Slit Eyes

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 22: Through The Black Slit Eyes**

The car stopped as Garder looked out the passenger side to gaze at the extravagant house before him. It wasn't too surprising, Kakuzawa was obviously a man who must have collected a great amount of wealth and he used that wealth to easily distinguish himself from the others. The mansion was built in the image mostly seen in the western world although he could see in the windows specific Japanese sections. Getting out, he casually pushed his glasses back up his nose and went to the gate, its silver bars large but thinly spaced before he pressed the buzzer. No voice answered from the speaker and the gates opened a few seconds later, obviously he was expected. The lawn was freshly cut, statues of what appeared to be Olympic gods and goddesses littered it and though he couldn't see it, he could hear the sound of a very large fountain in the back. All in all it radiated with pure, unrestrained power and authority even the very steps that lead up to the front door was made of polished marble with not a single scratch to be seen.

For some reason, Garder had a feeling that the only reason Kakuzawa was actually 'inviting', and he used that word roughly, him to his house, was so that he could keep a better eye on him. Garder clearly knew too much to be left alone so why not greet him on his own turf, or perhaps he was even trying to intimidate the General. He didn't have to knock; if they knew he was here it would have been pointless anyways. Sure enough the door opened and a young maid answered, her black hair falling over her eyes and rather downcast.

"The great master Kakuzawa-sama has been expecting you." She said simply, allowing him to enter and taking his coat. There it was again, the notion of authority that Kakuzawa always emitted. A servant would always address their master in a respectful matter, but this went beyond respect. The woman was in a state of being controlled by the old Head Director, forced to obey him not only as a master but as a man far better than her in any other way. He hoped the man didn't expect him to start bowing before him, no matter how much prestige he might have.

"Please follow me."

The woman led Garder across the hallway, took two turns and then finally led them to a single door which lead to an extravagant room. The walls were decorated with both Western and Asian mythological components in the form of pictures and tapestries. Two large windows sent bright light into the area where in the center, Kakuzawa stood cross legged. There was no other chairs around, meaning Garder would have to stand. "I have brought our guest to you, oh grand and powerful Kakuzawa-sama. Would you like me to do anything else for you?"

"No, that will be all Serette. Leave now so that I may talk to my…guest."

She only bowed respectfully, left and closed the door. Garder and Kakuzawa did not speak at first, merely starring at one another without blinking. In the mind of Kakuzawa, this man was already a simple bastard who should be whipped until he was kissing the feet of his shoes. His posture, his expression, it mocked his superior form, this lowly human man. But even if Kakuzawa despised his disrespect, he also had enough intelligence not to let it overcome him, not yet at least.

"So do we have a deal, Kakuzawa? I will work for you in your facilities?"

"I have been thinking about it for a while, and I have agreed that you will work for me. But mark my words Morotisan-san, I only do it because you seem to have a little bit of knowledge on the Diclonius race. Otherwise I'd have you killed on the spot right now."

"…Of course, I am clearly only a simple shadow basking in your light." Garder clearly didn't mean it; he would never legitimately lower him to anyone's feet or act as if he was inferior to anyone. But this was not a matter of respect; it was matter of learning about the Diclonius and doing something about it. He was willing to demean himself not only to get on Kakuzawa's good side but also get the conversation rolling and more importantly, ending on a good note. Apparently taken aback, Kakuzawa did calm down and even smiled, the grin perverse and wicked.

"Oh, I'm glad you understand. Because you see, I myself am part of a long lineage of extremely important beings." Certainly he was trying to explain himself as a superior person but Kakuzawa now also felt comfortable enough to express one of his darkest secrets to the man before him. He pulled off the thick wig on his head, laying it on his laps so that the horns were visible on his head. "You see, I too am part of the great and powerful Diclonius lineage. Unfortunately my blood has been tainted over the years by continued mating with humans. By the time I came around, the only thing left were the horns, yet they alone represent my power and superiority. You should feel honored that I am showing you this and even telling you my history."

"It is truly an honor as you say that I am allowed to hear these words. If I may ask, what is your goal with the Diclonius?" Again, he was trying to get on the old man's good side, let him explain a few more things to him. "I must find a Queen, a Diclonius capable of reproducing. If I have sex with her and father children, the Diclonius can overcome these homo-sapiens and we, the true horned ones, will rule. You mustn't take it too hard Morotisan-san, it is not your fault that you were born as an inferior creature. It only God's will that matters and you just got the short end of the stick. But you are one of the few who understands and respects my power and prestige, I like that a lot."

"It would be an honor to explore the Diclonius race and have them rule. We humans have done too much, it's time for the more superior race to come."

"HA! HA! HA! HA! You know your place well Morotisan-san, I am impressed. I think you just earned yourself a good place in my facilities. I will send you over to the one in Tokyo. Tell the Director there, Kusoku Riku, that I have sent you to work. He'll give you the layouts of what needs to be done. I think your wise enough to know this but now that you know this much it's not like I can let you walk away whenever you want." Kakuzawa lastly left Garder the number he could reach Riku at.

Garder nodded politely. "I know, I have no intention of defecting or creating trouble. I will be going now, I thank you for providing such time for a lowly man as me." He spoke, turning to make his leave. Exiting out of the door he saw the same maid, Serette, standing there with his coat in hand. She helped him put it on, expression a small question. "How was your talk with the great Master Kakuzawa-sama? You are the first person who has ever been allowed inside his great home. You should feel honored that he has talked to you."

"Yes…of course." Garder muttered nonchalantly, lowering the sleeves of his coat. Something caught his attention, the sound of footsteps before a young teenage boy entered. "There you are Serette, I've been calling you for the past five minutes! What the hell kind of servant are you when you don't respond to your masters!"

"I am very sorry, Master Kakuzawa, please forgive for my rudeness. I was only…" The young maid tried to explain before being rudely cut off.

"I'm not here to listen to your excuses servant. You are here under the grace of my father, under the great name of Kakuzawa. I know your simple woman but at least try not to act as stupid as you look."

The woman only nodded in agreement. "I am so sorry Master Kakuzawa, it was wrong of me to ignore your call."

"That's right, I am the master and…who are you?" Kakuzawa Junior just now noticed Garder standing there with a vacant expression of uncaring plastered over his face. "My name is Garder F. Morotisan, I have just finished speaking to your father about business opportunities." The teenager gave him a sprouting look of disdain then said firmly. "Is that so, you know I too am a Kakuzawa, you'd best show me the proper respect you show my father." He instantly turned back to Serette, her eye crestfallen as she took the verbal abuse. "Constantly screwing up servant, never listening to your masters, you do realize that you're here under our orders right? If it wasn't for us, you'd be out on the street, eating garbage and prostituting yourself to scum! Look!" He grabbed her by the hair, a teenager, no older than 15, was abusing this young woman as if she was nothing more than another object.

"You serve us! Got it, you are just a toy, a meager servant who should only cook, clean and entertain your superiors!" He raised his hand, and brought it forth, ready to smack the woman for no good reason other to prove his own self-worth. He didn't make it, his hand was stopped by Garder who held it tightly, and his black slit eyes glaring strongly at the lad. "That's quite enough, boy; you should calm down and collect your thoughts. Your servant, Serette, has most likely been working on other tasks and could not get to you at the moment."

Kakuzawa Junior startled, clearly not expecting to have been handled by this stranger. "How dare you touch me with your filthy human…GUAH!" After listening to Kakuzawa Senior ramble on, Garder had hit his limit. Perhaps the boy did not know what hit him, one moment he was standing, the next, he was laying on the floor clutching his gut as Garder pulled back his fist. "Do not test me boy, even if you were all truly Diclonius I would be more than capable of handling you."

"Ugh…gah…guh…w-wait until my father hears about…"

*Click*

He stopped, who wouldn't when a gun was placed between their eyes. Serette didn't say anything, just looked as broken as before. "Go ahead, call him in right now, and tell him what's happening. The only reason I came here was to secure my place in the facility, I care nothing for your or your father's deranged lunacy. You are nothing but humans, simple minded people with superiority complexes. So go ahead, call your father in here and he can watch as I blow your brains right out of your skull."

"Guh! Aghhh! Y-You can't do that…!"

"Really? I have faced opponents far more powerful, intelligent and definitely more dangerous than you. Do you really think I wouldn't? I killed my own daughter, what makes you think I won't do the same thing to you?"

Kakuzawa only whimpered, not even calming down when Morotisan left with Serette. Outside the young woman gazed away, her face blushing highly as she held her hands together nervously. "Thank you, for what you did. Nobody else has ever stood up against them."

"Do not be mistaken." Garder spoke to her coldly, his eyes flashing dangerously so that she felt a shiver run down her spine. "I did not do that for you, you just happened to be part of it. Why do you serve them though, you should know they aren't what they say. Someone like you, clearly you can get yourself a better life than this."

She bit on her bottom lip. "I can't, they have too much on me. If I try to run they'll just kill me. More importantly I'm afraid they'll find my son."

"Son?" Garder asked.

"Yes, I had a baby boy, although he should be much older right now. I left him in the care of friends because his father had left us before his birth. I don't know how he's doing or if he's even alive." She stared longingly up at the sky before Garder replied. "What do you think he would look like? What is his name?"

"Well, he was a very unique boy when he was born. Bright pink hair and he had two strange horns sticking out of his head." Garder narrowed his eyes suspiciously but let the woman continue. "He was going to be named after his father, his name was going to be…

…Julius Javel."

"So you left him with friends? Why didn't you leave him with family, certainly I this country which holds heavy emphasis on 'family' would take care of your son."

She looked away, suddenly shy and feeling dirty. "His father, Julius R. Javel wasn't from around here. I don't know where he was from, might have been America. When I say friends, I kind of mean…colleagues." Suddenly the young woman held herself tightly and kept her legs closed. "So, you prostituted yourself, probably to earn money and in one of your trips, you finally gave birth to this boy, am I wrong?"

Garder was spot on but the woman just looked down. "I was living on the streets before, earning just enough money to eat and drink. My body is filthy, just a sex object for men's lust. But it really isn't any different here. The Kakuzawa's just use me as a toy and that man, he constantly violates me. But compare to how I was living before, it's almost like paradise."

"I see, I have no more business with being here. Serette, I will not force nor help you with your life. It is up to you to decide what you do with it." Leaving with that note, Garder got into his car and drove off

* * *

><p>The car pulled into the drive way, Ishori stood out there waiting for him as the old man calmly threw the keys to his brother. Catching them nonchalantly, he gave a curt nod to Garder's absentminded gratitude before asking in a serious tone. "May I ask where you have been, Morotisan?" The elderly ex-General gave his brother a fleeting look, perhaps questioning why his younger half-brother was perhaps speaking to him in such a way.<p>

"If you must know I was in a job interview. If I am to live in this country I need to be employed. Obviously with the status getting a job won't be hard." Garder spoke.

"What kind of job is it?" Ishori asked.

"I will be an employee for a scientific facility that helps to study human evolution and biology."

Ishori sighed, not sure if he should believe his brother or not. "I don't want you coming into our house right now, Garder. You can probably understand that after you nearly tried to kill my daughter. But Jessica wants me to talk to you, ask you what's wrong. I'm your brother, no, we are your family. We both know you've been through a terrible loss, losing your only daughter, losing your son-in-law, you have gone through so much pain right now. Talk to me brother, tell me what's wrong."

The old man narrowed his gaze. "I have already stated my business and the issue with your daughter. There is nothing wrong with me."

"Liar!" Ishori spat it out coldly. "There is something wrong with you, something terribly wrong. The Garder I know was never like this, he might have been strict, but he was never a cold individual. Ever since you got back from that war, you've completely changed. Start explaining things to me, please Garder!"

"What needs to be explained, I've told you all that I know. It is up to you accept them or not. I am heading home, I have a place set up at an inn a few kilometers from here." Garder wasn't in the mood to speak, he wasn't in the mood to keep talking about these issues. "People die, all the time, every time. You, me, our friends, our enemies, the world is a constant world of peace and war. However it is impossible to ever have complete peace, no matter how hard we try. So as humans, we have to press on, keep pushing, determined to go on. So many people out in the world are weak, unable to go on, constantly set back by forces.

…If ten people could be saved by murdering one, would you do it?"

"Wh-What? I don't…" His brother began.

"If a thousand people could be saved by killing a hundred, would you do it? Sometimes you have to make choices, ones that you would usually never think of making because in reality the world isn't made of good and evil. Not a single person ever comes into this world with the notion of good or evil in him or her. Our actions are governed only by ourselves and our perceptions. In the past, beheadings were quite common and looked up in society, they were not deemed evils, but necessary functions for society. Now, we scoff at it, we see it as acts of evil."

He turned, his black slit eyes flashing dangerously at his younger brother. "You can't change that, you can't change the way life is. Not you, not me, not even God himself. The world isn't made up of just good and evil, it's made of different shades. Sometimes to do a great evil you must commit some good and to commit a great good, you must commit some evil. That girl, your daughter, Elrya Alya is a Diclonius, a human based creature with, as far as I still know, relatively unknown capabilities. My own daughter was the same, horns and the ability to do things no other human could do. Besides myself and later Vorono, the only other person who knew about her abilities was her own fiancé, Nicholas. I knew she was far different from any normal person but I had always wanted to keep her protected. I wanted her to live a normal life, away from problems I knew would be caused if people knew about her. I wanted her to feel loved, protected just a young girl with bone mutation that could easily be ignored if we just covered it up with her hair if it ever got out of hand."

Ishori listened intently yet kept his mouth open slightly open, his lips shaking. "What are you saying then? What was Veronica, what is my daughter? Is she really that bad that you'd have to kill her?"

"I already told you, they are Diclonius, human based creatures with very unique and very dangerous abilities. But even if that were true, do you really think I'd go out of the way to kill a single little girl because of that? Elrya may not have done a single thing against the world, the only sin against her is the one she has no control over. But that's just it, she has no control, eventually, in 3 years, in 8, maybe even 50 long years later, that will change. I've seen it, unable to control themselves, letting out huge levels of power and anger.

If your daughter ever got out of control, she could end up killing thousands, maybe even millions of people out of pure unrestraint fury. Would you want that? Would you want that on your conscious knowing that your own daughter is responsible for so many deaths? The difference between humans and her, is very simple. Though we sometimes get out of control, though we sometimes do very idiotic things, we are able to control our urges.

…Listen to me, and listen to me well. One day, I will be taking your daughter away. I have no qualms against your or your wife but when that day comes it'll be best if you just stay still and let me do my job. You can blame me all you want but if you do interfere, I will kill you. Be it family or friends…I will not let anyone interfere."

"…Garder."

"So until then, I expect you to love your child as much as you can and when it's time to leave her, you express just how much you love her. The way I couldn't say the same thing to my own when I killed her." The old man looked up the sky, taking in a deep breath he uttered coldly. "Under my orders your daughter is not to leave your house under any circumstances whatsoever. When I come to take her, do not put up a fight."

The younger brother was taken aback. "Just let you take her! What kind of sick bastard do you think you are! Garder, I refused to let you…" Garder's hand rushed up, his right hand gripping the collar of his brother's shirt and slamming him into the wall of his own house. For the first time, past the dead eyes of nihility, the intense flames of anger burned through the slits.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW, DREAMER!"

Was that the first time he had ever raised his voice? The first time Ishori had ever seen his calm and collect older brother so furious? The person before him held him tightly, pushing him against the wall yet the pain in his back was nothing to the pain in his heart when he heard Garder scream at him. "EVERYONE DIES! EVERYONE! YOU…ME…EVERYONE! YOU KEEP TRYING TO JUSTIFY YOUR ACTIONS BUT YOU CAN'T, YOU JUST CAN'T! YOU ARE JUST DREAMING, A FOOLISH LITTLE DREAMER WHO CAN'T WAKE UP!"

"_At some point…you'll have to wake up from your silly little dreams."_

Teeth grinding together, Garder hissed up at him. "Wake up, look around you. The world that you know doesn't exist anymore. I want to protect this world, I want to protect the people that live in it. I want to protect you, Jessica, Elrya and Vorono. I became a soldier, a war veteran, a General, to make the world a better place. The war, all those people dying, I made a promise that I would stop it start protecting the lives before me."

"…_Garder, I beg of you, don't do this. You've come this far, gone past the greatest obstacles I have thrown at you and not once have given up…"_

"…But I can't protect everyone. I can't protect the people I care for because I am weak. I can't protect my daughter or even myself. Maybe it makes me a vile person that I chose lives over others. That I am willing to kill your own daughter because of my own regrets and understandings. But that's the way the world works, it doesn't care about good or evil only the outcome. In these eyes where my world is fading, I see nothing but I hear everything. Every screaming child, every crying woman, every sobbing man, of all races and ethnics. You can't change that, you can't change the way the world works! You can only let it flow on in its ever random path, making just stray marks in the water to at least try and make different turns."

The younger brother sighed deeply, heartbroken in both mind and spirit he turned away, pushing his hand back so that his brother couldn't come closer. "So, you're willing to kill Elrya just to justify your own means?"

"Aye."

"…I won't let you."

"You don't have a choice." Garder growled. Only fatherly love kept Garder's brother standing stern. "I won't let you, you don't have the right to do it. Jessica and I worked so hard to have that child, to raise her, to let her live a happy life. I won't let you take your own unhappiness out on us." Then he went up and grasped his brother's shoulder, pleading helplessly. "Please, Garder, we can help you. We know that it must be terrible, losing your son-in-law, losing your daughter, losing so much in that war. It would drive any man to shame, but we're your family.

…My brother, please, there must be something. You were a father, certainly you wouldn't let someone just take Veronica away from you. Please, I'll do anything, I'll keep her constantly monitored, and I'll make sure she never leaves the house, anything. It's not just me you know, if you took Elrya away what would Jessica do? She's been a strong woman but if something like that happened, I don't know what I'd do.

…please….brother."

"…Tsk, familiar matters are too obnoxious. Very well then, I will be keeping a very close eye on her. If I sense but a single notion that something is wrong, I will be taking her." He gazed back up at the sky. "I have a call to make, you know my number. Feel free to call me if you want, especially for anything important.

…Farewell, brother." Morotisan concluded with a final wave of his hand, pushing his glasses back up his nose and leaving to finally give the number Kakuzawa had given him a call.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter finished as the tell of Garder's descent into the world of the facility begins. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Zero?"<p>

R&R


	23. Promises

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 23: Promises **

"Hello, this is Kusoku Riku, who may I ask is calling?"

That voice, Garder recognized it as the voice of the man he had talked to earlier to get in touch with Kakuzawa. It would've been nice if he could've just gotten every settled with him and not had to waste his time listening to Kakuzawa's insane ramblings. Either way Garder replied back in his usual stern voice, his receiver pausing as he also recognized Garder's voice from before. "Oh, it's you sir, how did you get this number?" There was no point in lying; Garder told him the truth, knowing full well that that Riku could contact his boss to make sure. He half expected to be told to wait while the man made the call verifying it but instead Riku opted to believe him, at least for now. Whether it Riku's own strained life or Garder's rather stern way of talking that made him believable could only be guessed at. Either way, only a few short words were given before the elderly ex-General finally received his directions. Just as indicated, the location was in the far off capital city of Tokyo, a good drive away.

As he entered into the bustling metropolis, Garder instinctively wondered what kind of building he was going to see. Being in such a public place, it certainly couldn't be too inconspicuous. Nevertheless, he followed down to the details the directions until he got to a rather large white structure situated between two other buildings. Sure enough, it was just as big as Garder had expected, taking at least two city blocks and rising 3 stories into the sky, it gave off the sensation of a sterile laboratory. Two guards stood at the front gate and though he didn't see any, he was sure there were more guards around. The windows were tinted black, obviously able to see outside but not inside. In the very front of the structure was a sign that read "Tokyo Facility For Human Biology And Evolution" all in thick black lettering. The only way to get into the area, other than crashing the car through the gate, was pulling up front. The two guards who were stationed there came on the move, holding their hands out until Garder rolled the window of his car down.

"This is private property; please remove yourself from the vicinity immediately."

"My name is Garder F. Morotisan, I was sent here by Kusoku Riku. If you wish, speak to him and he will tell you that I am expected." The first guard, a young man of about 27 looked at his relatively older partner who nodded curtly. With that, the young guard briskly walked away, leaving the two to remain in silent. For Garder, he had nothing to say, nor cared to say anything. The older guard kept opening and closing his mouth as if to speak but whenever he did, he sighed and merely pretended to smack his lips. On the outside the place, while definitely vast, looked little more than scientific factor that despite being in such a crowed place, could easily be overlooked. Plus, with its tight security, few people would get in and if some poor fool did manage to get in without authorization, he most likely didn't get back out.

Ten minutes later the young man returned in a short huff, nodding once before the older one spoke back to Garder. "Apparently you are expected, the door that you see in front of you is where you will enter, and you can park in the space on the left."

"Aye." Garder muttered nonchalantly, waited for the gates to be opened then drove through. Getting out of his car, he pushed his glasses up his nose sharply, inhaling the air before straightening his brown coat. The stainless glass door opened on its own, automatic to let Garder inside. It was almost exactly as the man had thought, a white lab consisting of multiple hallways and multiple doors. He could hear voices, timid sounds to faint for him to hear normally yet all but absolutely impossible for someone who hadn't attained the sense of perfect hearing. There was something he did hear though, just as faint but very unique because he had heart it many times before. A soft vibration coming from underneath his feet, the sound he knew to be vector. The location of the Diclonius was no longer a mystery at least.

"Ah, so you came, welcome…Morotisan-san." Riku said with good business manner, pausing slightly to remember the man's name. "Please hang up your coat and make yourself comfortable."

"There is no point to that, I am good. Let us get down to business…"

"Director Kusoku Riku."

"Aye…" Garder muttered looking around the place. "So this is one of them eh, a facility used for the purpose of studying those called Diclonius. Hidden behind a veil of lies and falsehood so that the outside world doesn't know the actions going on inside." At this statement, Riku gave a short, unpleasant laugh.

"Heh…heheheh…well…I got the message from my boss about you and of course we spoke. Before we do anything I do need you to sign a few things, such as waivers and such."

"Do not bullshit me." His words, calm as ever just piercingly strict that stopped the young Director dead in his tracks. "What waiver? That I'd get into some sort of an accident and then file a claim against this place. Like you'd even let that happened. Do not speak to me, boy, about the necessities of life and accidents. I am here for only one thing, to study and ultimately determine the mesh work for the Diclonius race and then utilize it in the sense to make humanity better. Now then, take me to the basement."

"Eh, the basement…?"

"That is where the Diclonius are located, now bring me to them."

Riku wanted to express his authority, he was after all the boss of this location and Garder hadn't even been registered as part of the staff yet. But something about him, his age, his cold demeanor, everything about him kept Riku at a distance. "How do you know, the Diclonius are there? Did somebody tell you?"

Garder gave him a fleeting look. "I didn't ask for questions I wanted a response. If you do not show me now then I'll just go alone."

Quickly shaking his hands and head, Riku replied quickly, "No! That's fine you can check it out at some point. But there is currently an experiment being done on one of the girls, it'll be closer and you can get an idea of what is to be expected from you." Garder nodded, content with that and followed his "employer" through the white sanctuary before finally coming to a small steel door. Kusoku entered some elaborator number into the small mechanical box near the side and the door slid almost silently open to reveal a relatively vast room. There was no need to look around, right in front of him was what he was looking for.

She might have been 14 or even 15 years old small yet, surprisingly well fed. As usual and as Garder would soon find out for the rest, she was completely nude, her arms and wrists being stuck to the wall by the metal hangers hoisted on the wall behind her. Her vivid colored hair was sprawled down her back and over the right side of her face, leaving on the single eye to stare through. He could see it, like a gleaming blood red ruby that held only one thing, absolute contempt.

"Number 49, we sometimes call her Ellie. Now listen to me very carefully Morotisan-san, you need to stay at least 3 meters away from her. We've set parameters along the floor but every once in a while some poor fool forgets about it."

The old man nodded brusquely taking a few steps in to get a better look at his surroundings. Above his head, just above the door that he had entered looked to be a large, obscene looking canon currently running from the sound of it. To his left high above was a vast window in which several figures could be seen, all in white coats. Riku went to a speaker set near the very side closest to the door then spoke in a monotone. "Prepare the first orb, set at specific joules, fire when ready…" As he said it, Garder couldn't help but see that his face suddenly became agitated and pained. Was he feeling regret about doing this?

Hearing those words over and over again, the girl prepared herself. Though unable to see them, Garder could sense through his keen hearing the sensation of "hands" emerging. Based on his perspective, he could tell that 6 vectors had emerged, hovering aimlessly around her body. The machine above whirred and shook, cranking forward as the canon lowered down so that the projectile would, if it did, hit her directly in the face. Hate in her eyes, regret in Riku's eyes, and unfilled emptiness in his own, Garder only watched as the canon fired.

*BOOM!*

The sound of something like small thunder and a crack of short lightning. The black metal orb smashed into the wall about 13 centimeters from her head, then dropped simply to the floor with another short boom.

"You see…" Riku expressed somewhat morbidly. You will be working with the Diclonius here to test their vector strength. That will be your main job along with some paper work here and there."

"Understood. Let me see the basement now."

Riku nodded solemnly, knowing the man would want to go there eventually. He didn't try to stop him but closed the door and led the elderly ex-General to downstairs. This time as the steel door opened, they were lead not into a large room, but a large hallway with different glass screen on each side. It went off into the distant that split off both left and right. "Feel free to look around, but don't touch anything got it?" Riku said strictly, leaning back against the door and letting Garder have free reign to move around. In this place, all the Diclonius were set behind fortified glass windows specifically created to keep their hands from reaching through.

Garder walked without speaking, looking through the glass windows at the girls stationed about. Most of them lay on hard benches that could only be used as beds, all of them were nude and the expression seen on most of them was illicit hatred. They ranged from as young as 4 years as old, to as old as 18 if not slightly older. He went to one who leaned against the wall, her vectors hitting the ground harshly. It was a prison network, holding its hostages in its metal grasp Garder finally reached the very end of his destination. "Director Kusoku!" He called out.

"Yes?" the man answered as he hurried up.

The old man pointed to the end of the room to another steel door. "Open that up for me, I wish to look inside." This time Riku looked away, swallowed nervously and replied hastily. "It's nothing."

"Then there shouldn't be a problem with me looking at it, if it's nothing."

Sighing deeply, Riku muttered softly. "You won't let it go even if I ask will you. You know, I'm supposed to be the boss here." He added with laughter before finally walking to the door along with Garder, inserting another code in and opening the door before him. Garder half expected some network of safe measures to greet him. This one place away from the other Diclonius, he expected to meet some overly powerful one that had to be stationed away from the others. Instead, he was greeted by the same glass window he had seen with the others. The first thing his eyes caught was what seemed to be a very dusty just well-kept wide brimmed brown hat. From its location it had never been touched and thus remained in good shape but that also it, it had never been touched and thus great amounts of dust had collected on it. Nothing about the room was any different from the others besides that one point. So he finally looked at prisoner who said leaning against the wall, his face almost as bored as Garder's.

"Number Zero, the one and as far as we know, only male Diclonius."

A male Diclonius, a male with horns. This wasn't coincidence, this was the proof before his eyes. Who would have expected that he would meet that woman's son right here in this very place. Too bad for her, he did not intend for a family meeting to be held. Number Zero looked up, firstly eyeing Riku then gazing over at Garder suspiciously. He was only about 9 or 10 years old, but the way he carried himself added quite a bit of maturity to himself. There was also hate in his eyes but it was much more subtle than the others.

"Who are you? I've never seen you around before." Number Zero asked nonchalantly.

"My name is Garder F. Morotisan."

"…You aren't around here, your name, it isn't Japanese like the rest."

"No it isn't. I'm from Argentina, South America ."

The male Diclonius didn't answer at first, but thought about something. "Garder F. Morotisan eh? I've heard that name somewhere, when they were experimenting on me. Aren't you the one who was part of the war?"

"War?" Riku asked then yelling out. "Wait a minute, now I remember, that name it is familiar. Garder Ferajhan Morotisan, the man who took part in the war against some madman in Europe."

"I'm surprised it took you so long to figure that out. But yes, I was the General of the South American Military who fought against Vladimir Cents, or the madman as you call him. After the war and defeating Cents, I came here. You, boy, what's your name."

"…Number Zero, does it matter?" The boy said sardonically. He probably didn't know or even care about his own parents. Considering what Serette had told him, the boy might not even know who his real parents were and who some "friends" that had taken care of him. Taken care of was something that was wrong too, he had a feeling, and as most of the time his feelings were correct, the boy was probably left by the so called "friends." After all, in the world of prostitution, one didn't have time to take care of a kid. Had he lived in the open for a long time? Had he learned to survive on his own like that? If anything was surprised him most about the boy was the fact that though he was angry, it was not as blind as the other girls. It was something akin to calm fury, anger that could be controlled.

"Number Zero eh, why such an irrational number like that?" Garder curiously inquired.

"It just felt reasonable." Riku said. Garder again gave him a fleeting look but Riku seemed determined not to explain anymore. There was no reason for him to question it anymore. "You probably won't be seeing him often either, he's under direct authorization of myself and a few other members." Riku added, almost as if to try to get Garder's attention away from him. Garder didn't mind, besides it was time for him to get into business.

After being taken around the entire construct, Director Kusoku took his employee to the work area, a medium sized room on the second floor. From the looks of it, it was nothing more than an office place, rows of desks and computers lined up as people typed away monotonously for the most part. He scanned the room quickly, took note of the people around before being taken to his own desk which looked shabbily created. Cleanliness wasn't exactly on the top of his caring list right now.

"Asuma-san will talk to you about getting things started. Talk to him if you need help with anything else. If you wish, just get use to your surroundings for today, I won't require you to actually work until tomorrow. Feel free to look around the facility but make sure Asuma-san is always with you. When you're ready to leave, we'll need you to feel out the paperwork, staff materials you know." Riku uttered, leaving Garder in the hands of a slightly overweight, balding man a little older than Garder himself.

"You must be the new recruit, can't say you picked the best job." Asuma spoke, his voice cracking in places.

"I chose the job best suited for me." Garder replied nonchalantly, sitting down at his chair and leaning slightly back, pushing his glasses up his face despite them already being pushed up when he leaned back. The walls were white, clean and the only thing to keep them from being stark were the lines of lights that sent a warm glow down his face. The AC blowing across the hall kept the place comfortable, perhaps because without it, the place would be unbearably hot. It would probably also help to hide the stench of blood, he could get a hint of some freshener in the air.

"Let me see, your name is, Garder F. Moro-ti-san…" Asuma said, pronouncing the last name with some difficulty. "From his looks and by his name, he could tell already. "May I ask where you from, you speak Japanese quite fluently, but your name and your looks aren't even from this country or even Asia."

"No, I am from South America, the military General of the S.A.M.A.S.F"

"Huh?"

"South American Military Armaments Special Forces, also known by other names as well."

"Oh…" Asuma added sheepishly.

"How many Diclonius are stationed in this facility, I was taken down the holding area but it's not like I got a real count of them." Garder questioned. Asuma took a moment to think, then answered. "There should be 57 Diclonius, all Sipilets."

"I see, why only Sipilets?"

"You know what they are?" His Co-worker asked curiously. Garder nodded once.

"Well for us, there are two types of Diclonius, Sipilets and Queens. Along with all of them being female…" Garder wasn't sure if he didn't know about Riku's prized possession or if he through Garder didn't know and didn't want him to get any ideas. "…Almost all of them are Sipilets, meaning they can't give birth. They lack the internal sexual organs to do so." All of this wasn't new to Garder though, not after his journey with Mellissa after all.

Garder looked at his own computer screen, nothing but the basics on it, any material on it before had long been erased before he had even got there. He brushed his fingers against the keyboard then asked another question. "What would happen, if you found a Queen?"

"She would be taken to the main facility on the island near Kamakura, where she would be closely monitored by special forces, the staff and Head Director Kakuzawa." Asuma replied almost lazily. Garder had the funny feeling that Asuma felt sort of oppressed by Garder. Being one of the oldest men in the facility, Asuma always had a profound job of being above the younger, less experienced men.

"Where are all the facilities located?"

"You have the one here in Tokyo and the main one in Kamakura as I told you. There's the one in Osaka and the other in Kyoto, which is named Saseba."

Garder against nodded, remembering it clearly. "I see, I'll have to keep that in mind in case something happens."

This time Asuma gazed at him with a dark, questioning look. "And what do you mean by if something happens?"

"It's simple." Garder stated in a matter of fact tone. "I still have authority under the South American military, including several advance marks that allows me to do things that I feel are detrimental to the safety of the people. As a four star general, I also have some access to the military in Japan." He clapped his hands tightly together, his head low almost submissively yet his eyes as piercing as ever. He said in his next words coldly but clearly.

"If at any point that I feel like it, I can have this entire operation destroyed in an instant. I can have the entire military force on this and every other facility in an instant. All of you will be subjected to the punishment for crimes against man and nature, and not you, nor will Kakuzawa be able to do anything about it."

Everyone else who had been working diligently on whatever they needed stopped and look around their desks like school children entertained by an upcoming fight. Asuma wasn't sure if he should feel insulted by being back talked like that or plainly shocked that this single old man could have the audacity to say such a hefty statement. Garder continued, addressing the situation and made things perfectly clear.

"Do you think I can't? Compare to the things I've seen in war, compared to the people I've faced in war, this facility is but a small ant that can be easily crushed underneath my foot. Neither you, nor your boss Kakuzawa will be able to do anything about it; no amount of governmental interference will save it. I have the power to completely shut down this entire operation."

This time Asuma really did express his anger. Having worked his way to the top in the facility, he was arrogantly proud and quick to temper. "Now listen here, you're new so I'll forgive your…"

"Quiet." As usual, Garder said it in a tone that had the room not already been silent, his voice may not have been heard. But the chill of it sent a shiver down many of the staff member's spine as he clenched his fingers tightly together. "At this very moment, all words you say to me are pointless. Any questions, statements, even threats are useless to me. At this very moment the only words you are to speak to me are those that help to ascertain my position within this place.

…Or did you really think that after taking down the likes of Vladimir Cents, a man infinitely more powerful and cunning than this entire operation and the people in it, I would just kick back and let you do as you want? Do not be conceited, fool, I can tell from the looks of the people around here that not all of them enjoy this place. Maybe it's money, maybe it's fear, and maybe it's something else. But you, the sound of your voice alone is like nails against a chalkboard, grating on my ears. You are ignorant, arrogant, and insufferable. You are foolish man who hasn't learned to grow up."

"What's up everyone?" Riku, making his usual entrances to check up on things was of course attracted to the commotion going on in the room. Asuma was on him in an instant, childishly pointing at Garder who calmly starred at the two through his horned rimmed glasses. "That bast….that man…" He quickly caught himself, not caring that he almost insulted Garder but feeling that in front of Riku, he needed to somehow express just a bit more caution with himself. "…Is failing to comply with my orders sir! He is yapping his trap about trying to ruin this place!"

"Morotisan-san, what's the problem?"

"Are you really asking me that?" Garder questioned seriously, this time catching Director Kusoku off guard. "I don't feel like repeating myself the same story, so I'll cut to the chase. I have the power, the ability, the knowledge, everything to send this entire operation, the people in it and Kakuzawa directly into the grave. No amount of interference or even threats will stop me. The problem is obvious, clear as day the moment I came in here. This place is torture, a place where lives are casually exploited and diminished like sheep and cattle.

Are you seriously asking me, what the problem is? I came here, to this place for a single reason, to study the horned girls called Diclonius. Therefore, despite the antics of this place, I have allowed myself to ignore it and keep going. I don't care about the experimentations you do, I don't care about Kakuzawa's chaotic upbringing as if to prove himself superior. I only care about the single reason that I am here."

Had Riku not been there, Asuma might actually have tried to attack Garder. But for the Director, who long since felt the pangs of regret in his heart, bowed his head like a child who had done wrong. He could only guess that Garder has the ability to do what he said, and what of it? Wouldn't it be better to have this terrible place destroyed on the spot? But he couldn't, because maybe Garder didn't fall under threats, but Riku knew that he wasn't as safe nor was his family.

"Morotisan-san, let's step outside. Asuma-san, get some water and relax, please." Still furious, Asuma nevertheless nodded curtly and left as Garder followed his employer outside the room.

"What is it?"

Riku chuckled then replied more sternly. "Morotisan-san, how do you know about Diclonius anyways. I'll take the guess that at some point you may have met one before but the term itself is something only we at the facility use."

"Things get passed on quickly, people speak when they shouldn't speak right?" Garder answered directly. "There was a Diclonius here, one that didn't live in these facilities but knew about what was happening. She was captured and taken to Hungary where her captors tormented her. During the incident with the war in Europe, we met and she explained the things going on around here. There is also the fact that my own daughter, Veronica Q. Morotisan, was also a Diclonius."

An etch of shock crossed Riku's expression. "So that's how you know, your daughter…"

"My daughter is dead." Garder said sternly, not giving the man time to finish his sentence.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." Usually Riku wouldn't speak on the subject of his own daughter, but knowing the love he had for Miriana, he felt sorry for Garder and his loss especially as he probably didn't have much time to spend with her since the Diclonius expressed their killer instinct at around age of 3 years old. "Well at least the short amount of time you had with her was good right?"

"Short amount of time?" the elderly man inquired. "My daughter was 20 years old and an expert military officer. She served with me in the war in Europe and befriended the young Diclonius girl Mellissa whom saw her as sister figure. Though I didn't understand the concept behind them, I have known about vectors for a long time because Veronica could use them. She could always control herself and in most cases as she grew older, she used them less frequently. But things happened during the war and she couldn't control herself or her urges."

Riku knew where this next part was going and so this time he finished for Garder.

"…Your daughter, started to kill people right? Something happened that caused her maybe snap or even attack other humans indiscriminately."

This time Garder's curiosity was perked. "Aye, how do you know that?"

"We don't exactly know the cause of it, but about 3 years of age, at least for most of them, your daughter might have been a rare exception, they begin to kill humans around them. It almost seems to be a biological prospect as they've been known to even kill their own parents."

If he hadn't killed her, would Veronica have done the same? Would she have even killed Nicholas not out of hate but just some pure biological aspect that she had no control over? The answer to that was clear, she would have. In her final minutes she had lost control over herself, killed her comrades before he finally put a bullet in her head. She most certainly did love Nicholas to the very end, his own death triggering her post traumatic episode but it was clear as day now. It was clear to Garder from then on and especially as he learned more and more about Diclonius along the years. This genetic anomaly in the horned girls to kill humans was something that couldn't easily be quelled. Some of them may resist, but like food, water and sex, the biological urges just become too great for them to handle especially during extreme distress.

"I am going to leave, I'll come back tomorrow at the same time and get work started." But just as he was about to exit, Garder stopped. "…There is a Diclonius that I know about living in Japan. She is only a baby and thus isn't a threat, but I can bring her in if you want."

"O-Of course, do that."

"Hm?" Garder looked over his shoulders, narrowing his slit black eyes suspiciously. Director Kusoku voice had been rather nervous when he had spoken. It wasn't like shock that Garder actually knew one, it seemed almost, regretful and soft spoken. For Riku, who had been secretly releasing Diclonius to settle his own pained heart, getting a new Diclonius was a mockery of everything he believed in and everything he was doing. But he knew that if a Diclonius' whereabouts were known, he was obligated to it. Even if he said no to Garder, if Garder talked about how he didn't look for this Diclonius, it could put him in deep trouble.

He felt tense, as if Garder was looking not only at him but somehow at his thoughts and was relatively glad the man finally left. Life was a wreck for him, on one side, his own personal issues with good clashing with his position as a man for knowledge. Perhaps he'd leave a little earlier today and spend some time with his family.

* * *

><p>"Ah, long time no see, Garder."<p>

"Good day to you also, Vorono." Garder greeted his former friend austerely but also politely, the bulky man letting him inside of his home. Vorono was living in a small comely home, just big enough to accommodate a man of his size. "Please sit down, let's catch up." At Vorono's request, Garder took the offer and sat down in a comfortable chair, leaned back and closed his eyes. Obviously he was here for Ilya but Vorono was also one of the closest and understanding people he knew. Let them catch up, talk like they used to, who knows, maybe through it all he might actually crack a smile.

…But he wouldn't. He wouldn't smile like he did in the past, not even for Vorono. He respected the man, saw him as a friend but he wouldn't smile, he might have been physically unable to do now. Returning with some hot tea, Vorono starred at his old friend while holding his body, the wounds of the war healing but still very apparent. Neither of them spoke, just starred at one another in boredom. Unlike other people, Vorono wasn't one to give into Garder's strict gaze, and this time it was the elderly South American General who finally broke the silence.

"You have found yourself a nice place. How are your wounds?"

Vorono clutched his side. "I am only glad that none of my internal organs were seriously hurt. You know Garder, I've talked to Ishori and Jessica."

"I see…" Garder said absentmindedly.

Both of them took long sips of their tea. "Where is the girl?"

"…I see, so you are here for that. You're working for the facility now aren't you?"

As he sipped his tea, Morotisan examined his friend. There was no anger in Vorono's face, just regret, both for Ilya and for her grandfather. "You'll still take her there, no matter what I say right?" Garder nodded at the question. "Of course, nothing you say or do will stop me. She will be taken to the facility and dealt with there."

Vorono knew it would come to this, so he two things he wanted. "Garder, I won't stop you but I have some things that I need to ask, two things really. The first thing is, I will be working for you at the facility." Someone needed to be there for him, for the man who had lost himself in morbid regret and terrible misunderstanding. "You declare quite boldly something that was asked." Garder mumbled nonchalantly.

"My second objection, is that when you take Ilya to the facility, you do not tell the people there who her mother is." Vorono ended finishing off the last bit of hot tea and setting the cup on the rounded table to his left. "From what I heard, Veronica was a very special case with these, Diclonius, a woman who was capable of giving birth. Mellissa herself was amazingly stunned when she found out, thought it was almost impossible. I can't change your mind Garder and if even a third of the things I've heard about this facility were true, it is very painful to know that these girls are being mistreated so badly.

I of course don't know for certain, but I would bet my life on it, that Ilya shares the same thing as her mother. If the people at the facility know that she is capable of giving birth, she'll be mistreated and abused far worse than if they didn't know. Let her at least have that comfort because you know she won't get much else."

The old man thought about it, then agreed. "Very well then, I will tell them that she lacks the sexual organs to reproduce, making her only a Sipilet. As far as you working for me, I have no problem with it. I can easily enforce my rule in the facility and since your knowledge on Diclonius is just as good as mine, I'm sure you can be of a valuable asset. Where is the girl?" Finally asking for the whereabouts of Ilya, Vorono lead him to a small room where a little white crib lay in the center of the room. As if he was the girl's own father, Girikuson strode over and picked the lively baby girl up. She looked remarkably like her mother did when she was a baby, even the cheek bones were similar. Her pink hair rolled in short tufts around her head as she cooed cutely up at Vorono.

"Would you like to hold her, she is your granddaughter after all?" The large ex-Captain asked.

Ilya, not even a year old looked over at Garder, her wide red eyes bright and curious and then whimpering as she saw the pure look of nihility in the man's eyes. "I have no need to hold something that will not matter to me in the end. Even if she is my granddaughter that will not matter anymore when she is delivered to the facility." Could he hold her, even touch her? The answer to that was no, because even though he did not hate the child, he could not get himself to abandon his own ideology. Ilya Vega was like her mother, adorable, precious, a bright spot of hope and love and yet she was without a doubt, a vicious danger. He couldn't risk it, having her go through the same thing her mother did. Even though it was dreadfully painful, it would be better for the child to at least start in the world of cruelty than to live blissfully unaware and have her hopes, dreams and livelihood shattered recklessly.

"I will return in a day, perhaps with Director Kusoku, who currently heads the facility I work at, and collect her. I'm sure you'll be welcomed as part of the facility group too, especially with your connection to me.

…The tea was good Vorono, I didn't know you were capable of making it. You added in some spices that gave it a western feel."

"Aye, I've learned a bit in the short time I've been in this country."

"Good, I will be going. I will contact you when I am to arrive, until then I suggest you bond with the girl because you probably won't ever see her again."

Vorono acknowledged it, sorely aware of one major fact throughout the entire visit. Not once had Garder referred to Ilya by name. Not once did he even register as being part of his kin, much less his own granddaughter. That baby girl's grandfather before her and he couldn't even call her by name.

* * *

><p>As per the agreement before heading home, Garder made one last stop to Ishori and Jessica's home to check up on Elrya. As the car pulled in Jessica stepped out, her face smiling but her eyes alert. Who could blame her, Jessica loved Garder as a member of her family but she loved her daughter even more. There was no way she'd let her precious Elrya be taken away to some unknown place, not even by Garder.<p>

"Hello Jessica, you probably know why I am here."

"I do, I won't let you take Elrya away from me." Hell hath no fury like a woman in scorn, and there was certainly no fury like that of a mother protecting her child. But for poor Jessica, no amount of motherly instinct, words or even violence would ever stop Garder. "You can stand up to me all you want Jessica but I have already told Ishori. I will be keeping an eye on Elrya and if anything happens, anything at all, I will be taking her away." The young woman wanted to deny it, to shake her head and forcibly tell Garder that he was wrong and that such a terrible thing wouldn't happen in a lifetime. But instead, she merely trembled unable to stop him from entering into her home. Maybe because deep down, she still thought of him as family, that somewhere deep inside, the same strict just loving Garder F. Morotisan was still there somewhere that cold hearted stare.

Ishori was there as well, not even minding that his half-brother was entering his home. The most he did was perk his ears as Garder stepped inside with Jessica who didn't dare let Garder be alone with her daughter.

Sleeping in a crib similar to Ilya's, Elrya slept soundly. Standing there with his pitch black slit eyes glaring down at the child, his fingers tightened as if ready to grasp the child by the neck and strangle it. He should kill her, right here and right now because she was a danger to herself and more importantly to everyone else around her. What was stopping him? What was keeping him from striking her down right now? Just a quick lunge of the hand, he could strike any part of her body and end the breathing life as if snuffing out a candle. Jessica couldn't stop him, Ishori couldn't stop him, and so what was stopping him?

"Garder…"

"What?" The man answered darkly, causing the poor woman to flinch.

"Please, why do you think she's such a bad child? She hasn't done anything wrong and there is no proof that she would later on.

…C-Can you just do one thing for me. Can I just ask one favor from the old Garder who used to be so gentle?"

He didn't answer but the look he gave told her to continue.

"…Please, from the very bottom of my heart, even if something does happen, if something happens to us. Please, I beg you at the bottom of my very soul…please." She seemed to be on the verge of crying, her face red and eye puffy as she clutched Garder's arm. "Please, take care of her. You lost your daughter, you know how it would feel to lose one so please, for her sake, for my sake, for Ishori's sake, please take care of her. If something happens, please make sure nothing bad happens to her."

Pleading, begging, there was no other emotion but desperation in her voice.

"…I will make no promise."

"…Of course you won't." Expressing her anger this time, Jessica lowered her head submissively. "You are, no longer the Garder I once knew and cherished. You are so angry and filled with hate and sorrow. Please Garder! If something happens to me and Ishori, I don't care what it is, but please, at least let her live."

She couldn't bear it when he didn't respond and left the room. Craning her head over the crib, she saw that her babies eyes had at last opened up, starring curiously at her mother who tried to wipe away the wet splotches from her eyes. Sensing the discomfort of her mother, Elrya instinctively began to weep as well, reaching up with small hands to cup her mother's face. "N-Now, now, my little Elrya-chan, please don't cry. Mother just had something, in her eye that's all." She forced herself to lie even though Elrya wouldn't have understood anyways at her age.

Garder just about to leave stopped as Jessica's bell-like voice began to sing the crisp song that she would always sing to Veronica.

"_Do you see the raindrops spreading over across the ground_

_Filling it with all the senses of pain and sadness?_

_Do you see the tears trickling down every single cheek_

_Desperately wanting to fulfill a single joy?_

_Look upon the sky and see with all of your heart_

_A fragment of a melody._

_Look upon the clear green ground and tell me what you see now_

_As the wind blows wide and free."_

...

…

Something slid down his face, soft and wet, a single tear drop that was erased away without a trace. The song without music was a beautiful thing that set its own tone, no music needed, just the splendid array of bell-like chimes that came from such a splendid voice. Every word was spoken in a brilliant chorus of Spanish, the only Spanish that Elrya would probably hear in her life and even then may never even comprehend. But for Garder, who spoke the language, he could feel it stabbing at his own emotionless self. Just how many tears would trickle down his own face before he finally acknowledged them? How many painful acts would happen before just a single joy could be granted? The winds that blew now, only held pain. A painful reminder of the past, a painful reminder for the future, an overwhelming painful act.

As she began to repeat the song, unable to listen again, Garder hurried out.

* * *

><p>Vorono was surprised when Director Kusoku stepped into his house along with Garder the next day. He knew that the facility was a place that did horrible things to the horned girls and so he expected the director who ran the place to be a cold, overbearing individual. The man he saw seemed so timid that a strong wind might blow him down. His body was slumped, his shoulders sagged and his face wore a perpetual look of nervousness. He constantly rubbed his hands together and next to Vorono's large figure, almost seemed cowed by him.<p>

"You are…?" He tried to politely get the burly man to give his name.

"It's Vorono sir, Vorono Girikuson."

"I see, you also aren't from Japan are you?"

Vorono shook his head. "No but like Garder I've also had quite a bit of time to understand the Japanese language and customs. I am offering my services to you and the facility as well."

"Tsk, you're the second person after your friend who has actually wanted to work here." The Director replied with the same gaze of nervousness. Vorono on his part felt rather sorry for the man, it kind of reminded him of Garder. Riku was a man whose appearance gave off the vibe of somebody who had once been proud but, do to whatever circumstances, had become a mess. For Riku, with his life only being held together by his family and by the secret he held at the facility, he would've long ago given up on his own life.

"…So tell me, Girikuson-san, how much do you know about Diclonius?"

"More than I ever wish I'd knew." Vorono uttered rather coldly. Again Riku gave a halfhearted laugh.

Garder spoke. "Vorono here has just as much knowledge on the Diclonius as I do myself. Not only that but he is also an expert soldier just like me as well. Why not incorporate him into the security?" There was no denying that Vorono definitely looked the part. He had to have well over 2 meters and his massive bulk was both impressive and intimidating. But no matter how strong a man was, they would never be as strong as a Diclonius. "Are you sure about that? Morotisan-san has, quite surprisingly I might add, well adept knowledge on Diclonius, even for a novice."

Vorono answered immediately. "I can trust you sir that I am ready for the job. If I die then it would only mean that I was too stupid to realize the dangers. I don't mean to be rude sir, but please don't insult me. I have worked with Garder for a very long time, have ran through wars and have even lead people through those wars. These things the Diclonius have, arms, hands, vectors, whatever they might be called are indeed very dangerous. But so is a gun, so is a sniper, so a bomb. You may never see them coming and even if you did, could you even stop or avoid it? Despite that we still fight, because we force ourselves to keep fighting."

"Alright, alright. We're never too low on security anyways, I put you in but only because Garder recommends it. Now where is the Diclonius." Vorono on his word brought Ilya out, annoyed at being awakened but becoming curious as she saw the people around her. Garder as usual didn't so much as bat an eye when looking at her but Riku's lower lip trembled as he saw her. "Here, take her, I don't want to get too attached to her. It's hard enough letting her go but it's even harder knowing exactly where she's going." Vorono said seriously, trying to hand the baby girl over to Riku. She tried to squirm away, latching on to Vorono whom she had obviously created a strong bond with. But Riku didn't reach out for her, instead he ordered Garder to get her. Ilya shrilled more loudly as she taken away, maybe she could even feel that the short but happy life she had been living was about to be completely destroyed. Riku wanted to leave quickly, and he desperately wanted the baby to stop crying. It reminded him of Miriana, being hurt and screaming for release, screaming for somebody to take care of her.

"Garder…" Vorono whispered. "You remember our deal right?"

"Aye, I will acknowledge and keep to it Vorono."

Ilya was taken to the Tokyo facility to be given tests on, Garder did it himself, alone he found out that, just as Vorono had thought, Ilya had internal sexual organs that would, when she grew up, allow her to give birth. So as promised, as he filled out the paper work for her, he placed her under as a "Sipilet". He then allowed Vorono to have one last look at her, the baby still crying profusely, reaching with her tiny hands to be held by her adopted father before she was taken away to another facility.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Sorry for such a long wait but I finally got the chapter done and at a whopping 8,000+ words I hope it was worth the wait.<p>

Please R&R


	24. The Director's Chair

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 24: The Director's Chair**

"Keep up the good work people." Riku finished the assessment of the day, closing his note book and nodding his head curtly at everyone else. Of course he didn't really mean that the work they did was good, abuse was never good but it was merely a way to get moral up. In short, it was sign of good will more so for himself, who as always appeared broken and straggly, like a small twig ready to snap at any moment. He had lost more weight and he wore heavier clothing including what appeared to be two small jackets. Even with the facilities air conditioning running day in and day out, such clothing would've had most people burning inside. Whenever somebody would ask him about it, he'd give the same answer.

"It's just chilly…that's all…" And after a few more days, people just took it for granted. Thus for the next 4 years, Garder's life was a boring, practical day to day job of shuffling papers, filing work and creating databases for the facility. He spoke rarely and yet despite only being an employee, he very quickly gained the respect from his fellow staff members, both owing to his credentials as a rather world famous military officer but also from his sheer personality. Serious and stern, his age only amplified his stature. But he was also, very oddly emotionless. Even Riku looking as broken as he did, at least tried to crack a smile every once in a while. Some people weren't even sure Garder had emotions and joked more than once that he was some sort of machine.

Vorono was for the most part, completely opposite of his old friend. Just as Garder had the profound respect as a once powerful military leader, Vorono as the second command also garnered the same reverence as his elder peer. He talked more, held conversations longer and was well liked by both the staff members and the very guard members themselves that he worked with. His attitude was kind but not overbearing, always enough for people to like him, but never feel that he was being annoying. It was a man who took the job seriously, but unlike his friend, could at least act in good will.

It might have been why Riku would often start to talk with the burly man from time to time. With Garder being his usual sour self and the other men, hardly of any enjoyable product, Vorono never let a dull moment go by. But though it could lift his mood, it could never lift the poor man's spirit. Riku Kusoku was barely alive on the inside, kept alive by the thoughts of his family and the thought that each month, he was making a small difference in one of the girl's lives that suffered so cruelly by his hands. Though few, he had already lost count on how many he had secretly let out, always making the excuses of how a girl would, lose control and he to be dealt with. Luckily for Riku, such antics also happened during the day at points so having Diclonius attack at night didn't strike many with concern.

Except the old man sitting at his computer. He pulled up the information screen noting the number of Diclonius that had been euthanized within the past years that the facility had been up. He actually wondered if someone really hadn't noticed, or maybe they never cared, but he found it hard for anyone to miss the vast number of Diclonius that had been killed within the past 4 years. A large number as recorded had happened not only at night but during the times when there the least amount of people available. But most importantly, during each and every time, a single name appeared on the night time roster.

"Director Kusoku Riku."

"What are you doing, I wonder?" Garder though silently to himself. As per usual, the man was able to put two and two together and get the idea quickly. Riku Kusoku was doing something during those times and he had strong feeling it wasn't euthanizing misbehaving Diclonius. But feelings could only get you so far, he needed hard evidence against the man.

"Director Kusoku, I have a question." He asked, closing the screen and calling his employer over.

"Aye, can I help you, Morotisan-san." Though use to it, Garder's South American heritage still felt tangs of unfamiliarity when being addressed with Japanese honorifics. It would be pointless to talk about what he thought, Riku would deny it if it were true. "I wish to see a month at the night shift for the facility, if I may."

"Really? It's…kind of boring Morotisan-san, you'd be much better off…"

"I merely think I need to have a new approach at this place. I have only worked during the days and for the most part, have only done the paper work. Surely there is no issue with me working the night shift. Considering I am off on weekends and Monday, I would be willing to work both the day and night shift Fridays." He said collectedly, eyeing the feeble man with his cold slit eyes. He really wished that Riku would come out and just say it, beads of sweat, shaking fingers, the inability to so much as look him in the eye, it was guilty written all over.

Then again, what about it? This was no war, though his personality of absolute logic would never let Riku ever release such dangerous creatures, he could not go and kill him without repercussions. If by the chance he found out that Riku was releasing Diclonius, he would have to deal with the issue in a rather indirect way.

"Fine, as you wish." Riku knew there was no point in arguing, he let Garder start his first day of the night shift.

Of course nothing happened, Riku wouldn't dare start doing things so early with him on the watch. Garder also knew that Riku hadn't done anything when he left because he always had the reports of the current Diclonius listed on his computer, saved not only on the main hard drive, but also on his own person disk. Therefore, even if Riku never put in that a Diclonius had been so called "killed", he could always physically check on them himself. The other issue was though he had authority as an ex-military general for the well being of citizens as a whole, he was in the end an employee of Riku's. Thus, though it was hard to realize just how strict and overbearing he was with everyone, he did logically have to obey the man. It might have been surprising to know that there were some things that the military could and could not do. In fact, it might have wise to say that getting the military involved was false threat.

The facilities needed to exist, to house and capture the Diclonius. Get rid of the facility, and you get rid of the one thing that has acted as a beacon for finding and incarcerating these girls. Get rid of the facilities, and there was nothing left to keep the girls in captivity. But maybe there was something he could do.

* * *

><p>"Director Riku, I would like to speak to you, in your office if I may." Three weeks later, with no signs of anything suspicious, Garder decided to ask the young man a question.<p>

"I would like to be offered the joy as the Director of this facility."

Riku almost choked, he certainly hadn't been expecting that from him. "Th-That's sudden…" He stuttered quickly, trying to regain his composure.

"I have expressed my willingness to work in this facility and look at the study of the Diclonius race. I may not have worked here long but I do at least have a strong sense of leadership skills and enough knowledge on these girls to understand how to run the place. Besides, you have been looking rather down in the past years."

Kusoku, at first worried, suddenly felt rather grateful that Garder had brought this subject up. It would mean that he could still work in the facility and do as he needed but also not be put under the great amount of pressure that he had been in before. "Do you think you can handle it?" It was done before the conversation ended, Riku would agree, it was only a natural instinct to keep asking questions. Garder answered them honestly and after the run down with Head Director Kakuzawa, who obvious had to make note of such changes, Garder found his new desk in a spacious room overlooking an ornate glass window. There were signs of relieved anxieties on Riku's face as he sat at the seat of Garder's old desk, flexing his fingers and absentmindedly typing away on the keyboard.

Standing before the window with his hands in his pockets, the door opened up. "You really do have great leadership skills, Garder."

"Ah, it's your Vorono, good day to you. Yes, I suppose I am not as use to obeying orders as I am to giving them. I doubt Riku would complain, he has become relatively happier it seems." He said with an offbeat sigh. Vorono bit his tongue to keep himself from saying how his friend needed to get happier as well. Garder continued speaking.

"The world is filled with the unknown, not just in Japan but all over the world. I'm not sure if even I can handle all of this myself."

"I am sure you will do fine, sir."

Garder gazed over at Vorono, concerned about such a weak answer from such a strong man. "I see, I suppose I should stop doubting myself."

Garder stopped, walked closer to the window and placed his hand directly upon it. "This world is born out of multicolored fascination. You can't commit complete god and you commit complete evil. Logical understanding works in the way of those who pursue their goals. I want to change and protect the world, but to do so, I must commit sins to do it."

"…Aye." Was Vorono's answer acceptance or just plain dullness and the inability to answer wholesomely?

"Vorono, I am going to be holding a special meeting, I'll give you the date later and I want you to come."

"Certainly. I have duty now, I will talk to you later…Director Morotisan." With final words of parting, Vorono politely bowed and left the room, leaving Garder alone his new office. Besides moving his equipment over, he hadn't touched the room, which meant that some of Riku's belongings still remained, waiting to be picked up by their true master. He could see, plastered over the filing cabinet a small photograph. Riku, far happier than he had ever looked before wrapping his arms around a young pretty woman who looked equally as jovial and a small baby with short black tufts of hair smiled bright at him.

He looked at the picture carefully, the baby was normal as far as he could see, no horns at all. The woman was clearly in love with her husband, her face brightly lit. It had been years since his own wife had died, and just as long since he had remembered her. Catherine Anita Morotisan, she had been a dancer, pretty but by no means gorgeous but amazingly self-sufficient and aware.

And looked at the baby, no older than a year.

Didn't he have a daughter, once long ago?

…Didn't he have a little girl, her face beaming just as happily whenever she pleased her father?

…Didn't he, once raise a little girl to be a fine adult, who loved her father so much?

…She had a name right?

"…Veronica."

That was it, as the whispered name escaped his lips. But she was not here anymore, she was somewhere else, hopefully a much better place than this cruel world ever had to offer. She was not here, because he had personally killed her with his own hands. He had to do it though, because Veronica had become a threat to the existence of humanity. She had become a threat to herself and she had to be put down.

He returned back to the large ornate window overlooking Tokyo, his eyes gazing over the structures that created the Capital of Japan. He had attained a position of power, overlooking the population as a king does his servants. Hadn't there been another king, a wild, voracious and chaotic king? Indeed, such a king still existed, a monster of man and yet someone, somehow infinitely better than himself, because he himself was so weak in the end.

It felt somehow strange to be standing at the top, maybe because it had happened so quickly and with little effort on his part. Riku gave up the position and Kakuzawa agreed for him to attain the position. It didn't last long, it didn't require time and management. Somehow he could've just walked into the office and people, including Riku and Kakuzawa, would've just accepted it as another notion of life.

"The meeting, should be interesting…" He thought solemnly to himself.

* * *

><p>"Wow!" Orlana was just as happy and surprised as her younger sister but it was Carentorzulan's vivid exclamation that caught bystander's faces who beamed at them. They were foreign both from looks and their dialect, but the two young girls strolled through the vast area of Kamakura, gazing at the shrines and other assortments of objects that made the place so unique and wonderful. Orlana held her mother's hand gently but often tugged it hard to reach places faster who sighed with impatience but good heartedness too. Carentorzulan, 5 years old held her older sister's hand.<p>

Both sisters wore matching uniforms, small coats that were brightly orange that contrasted with their surroundings and yet their cute faces seem to bring onlookers closer. Caren wore a small woolen hat over her head, though not to hide her secret but merely as an accessory just as Orlana wore a small scarf around her neck. At nearly 13 years old, Orlana had enough patience and self-control to keep herself calm but Caren, far too young to even realize such a thing, quickly pulled her older sister's hand to a booth.

"Orlana, can we go there? Please! Please!" Caren joyfully exclaimed, pointing at a booth that tweaked her interest. Making sure her mother knew where they were going, she let them wander off, knowing that Orlana would watch over her younger sister. Young Caren had apparently found some sort of booth selling an assortment of unique objects she liked because she starred wide eyed at it before pointing at a highly decorative yet somehow very simplistic necklace. It was something made to look glamourous but actually very cheaply made but sold at a price worth the real thing, but of course Carentorzulan didn't care about that. She had been given a little bit of money but the issue was not of paying it was actually getting the deal done, because poor Caren didn't know a lick of Japanese to save herself.

"Orlana! Orlana!" Childishly she pointed at the necklace, her eyes wide and almost tearful as if thinking because she could not communicate with the seller she would not be able to get it. While not great, her older sister had at least been taught enough Japanese by her mother to get by and the beaming expression of joy on her little sister's face was better than anything else in the world. Though she was more than glad to see her sister smiling brightly, she really wished for something with a bit more oomph to it. What caught her attention was a list of trinkets and, much to her delight, a vast array of sword like objects hung on the wall. She had won multiple tournaments of fencing in her age group and her love of swords, especially rapiers, was second only to her love of illusions and magical tricks. For her, she could appreciate the fine details and craftsmanship.

Somewhere, she could hear a young teenager yelling at his father.

"This is stupid, why the hell do we have to come here anyways?"

"I won't have this from you Bando, you will listen to me."

She heard more arguing but left her attention souly on the blades before a twinge of regret overcame her, the prices were defintely out of her league. In usual aspects, Caren would have politely waited for her sister to finish looking but curiosity got the better of her when she one strange looking thing with in the corner way of an alleyway at the northwest. Running up she ran up to the person who sat down on a pair of steps, his body leaning forward yet even sitting down and hunched over, he towered over the young girl who at first felt overwhelmed.

"Hello, how are you?"

She curiously shook her head.

"I-I don't...understand..."

"Oh...somebody from Turkey, I haven't seen someone from there in a long time."

She gasped loudly. "You can speak it too?"

"Of course, I can speak many langauges, Japanese, Turkish, Hungarian, English, Spanish, I'm rather adept at speaking several languages. Tell me my fine little flower, what brings you so far into a place like this?"

"I'm with my mama and older sister! They use to come here a lot but its the first time I've ever been here."

Her chuckled heartedly. "That's wonderful, are you enjoying your stay here?"

She nodded exubrantly, pointing to her new gift. "My older sister got this for me, isn't it cute!"

"Hahahahaha! It is very cute, I'm glad you liked it. What's your name child?"

"Carentorzulan!"

"That's a pretty long name, mind if I call you Caren?"

He seemed a bit surprised when she suddenly pouted. "I don't like people shortening my name like that. I like my name, everything about it."

"Ah, I apologize Carentorzulan. Where is your older sister anyways?"

"She's...Ah!" She suddenly realized that she had lost Orlana and turned around, desperately searching for Orlana. "Ah, Ahh, I lost her, what do I do?" Worried both at losing Orlana and the posssiblity of being scolded, she felt the man's hand ruffle her hair gently. "Do not cry little girl, stay calm and you'll find your sister. Look around carefully and you may find her."

Giggling softly, she caught her breath and looked, seeing her sister gazing longingly at the swords. "There she is, thank you!" Caren yelled hastily, bowing politely before the man stopped her again. "Young girl, why are you wearing that hat? It's not exactly hot right now but it certainly isn't cold. Are you trying to hide something?"

"No sir, I just like wearing it." And she pulled the wool cap off, revealing her bright hair and the two set of horns on her head. "Mama says they were...were..." She had difficulty thinking of the word, being so young after all. "...Bone m-muta...shuns..."

"Bone mutations?"

The young Diclonius nodded. "Yes! That's what she said. I need to go now, before I get in trouble. Wh-What was your name, you didn't tell me."

"Hahahahahaha, how rude of me. You told me all this wonderful stuff and I never even introduced myself." The elderly man uttered, once again rubbing the child's head gently.

"My name is Vladimir Cents."

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Cents." But before she could walk away, Cents did have one more question to ask her.

"Carentorzulan, do you mind if I ask you just one more thing?"

"Sure? What is it?"

"What do you...desire most of all?"

She paused, not expecting such a question or perhaps even able to understand it. "What do you want beyond anything else in the world, beyond any thing that could be realized? What do you wish to attain, that you will attain, no matter what the cost?"

"I don't know." She replied truthfully.

"Oh...fine then. Run along now Carentorzulan. Oh...you may want to keep those horns covered, some people aren't as accepting about them."

He watched the little girl run back to her sister before getting up, and turning around walking out of the alleyway to his destination.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: At long last I got a chapter out. I currently have a Beta Reader going through the chapters and making corrections. Right now the first 5 Chapters have been fixed and are now up. When my beta reader gets the next 5 chapters up I will then put those up. I will also not post the next chapter until those next 5 chapters have been grammatically corrected.<p>

Until then, please R&R.


	25. The Ranks Among The Desired

Pinpoint Zero

**Chapter 25: The Ranks Among The Desired**

Vorono clicked his tongue nonchalantly, his heavy boots hitting the cold white floor and sending loud but quickly erased echoes off the walls. He gave the passing greetings to those he saw, secretly wondering if the people he worked with felt just as guilty as he did with their job. He wasn't sure which of his teammates felt glory in making the young girls suffer in here, or those who felt just as much plight but were forced into this servitude. He chided himself for thinking the last part too severely, because even he knew how that sounded. As must as he pitied them, the Diclonius were indeed a very dangerous species. Then again, the only Diclonius that he had ever been around with outside of the facility, other than Ilya and the very few times he saw Elrya, was Garder's own daughter, Veronica.

A painful tingle clutched at his chest. Would things really have been any different, if they had not gone to war? Would Veronica still have remained calm, collected and carefree? Countless studies and experimentation had proven that the Diclonius, for whatever reasons, did have some biological urge for violence, especially against humans. Would it really have been any different? He had two answer to that, the first was uncertainty. Who knew what caused the Diclonius to snap every so often? Veronica had been a voluptuous young woman, became a mother and barely even used her vectors outside of sheer curiosity. But that didn't stop her, that didn't stop her from losing herself completely and lashing out at everyone in a blind rage. Even now the blood from his comrades still lingered on his nostrils, a constant reminder that was never left with his work.

Yes, there had been times when he had to shoot to kill. Though many would disagree, he didn't like to think he was capable of fighting Diclonius, instead it was just his tactical mind working. Fighting Diclonius head on was suicidal, but tactical fighting was another thing. Keep the girl busy, the girl who like Veronica was at wits end, and while she was occupied, have another person take her down from behind.

The second answer he gave to himself was that even if Veronica did not become violent later on, the actions of the King of Deceit would have ultimately destroyed her. Despite being, he used the word "beaten" fairly loosely, Vladimir Cents still remained the dark reminder of the evils in the world. The only thing he could find joy in, was that due to the actions of the heinous man, nobody would ever let his antics rise again.

Who'd have thought, he'd be working for that insane man in a few hours.

* * *

><p>"Gah!"<p>

A shocked gasp escaped his lips as Vorono entered the large room, a round table sitting 8 chairs but with only two people there. On the right, his legs crossed and his glasses perched at the end of his nose, Garder nodded his head once at Girikuson's arrival. The second person, most unwelcomed in Vorono's eyes, was none other than Vladimir Cents. There was a notable increase in the length of his hair in front though the back remained cut oddly short. His body, somewhat larger though was not due to fat but an obvious increase in muscle mass. He wore a large onyx coat which for his own personal reasons, decided to put only one arm in, letting the other sleeve dangle uselessly. And of course, such a man would not be complete, without the rods sticking through his neck and shoulder, finishing off the image of brutal grotesqueness.

While Garder sat composed, Vladimir leaned back in the chair, his large legs propped up on the table as if he was at some sort of university party, not a care for anything, much less morals and respect. His hand held a single glass of liquor which was drained, though not to Vorono's knowledge at the time, in a single gulp by the burly man. He might have had even more to drink though no signs of drunkenness had appeared on his face. For Vladimir, who utilized special formulas on his body, this might have been a side effect.

"Hey! Long time no see, soldier, I see your wounds have healed up nicely." He hated that voice, careless and murderous, talking to him as if having a simple conversation. Vorono didn't answer, he couldn't answer even if he wanted to because he feared where it might go. Let the man speak, just don't answer unless he truly had to. Instead he spoke to Garder, whom he really needed answers from. Knowing this, Garder raised his hand for Girikuson to stop, and said aloud.

"I have courteously invited Cents in here to discuss a specific matter at hand that needs to be dealt with. Cents, has agreed to come and listened to me." Vladimir didn't say anything, only nodding his head as a simple gesture. "Vladimir Cents has a great amount of knowledge on the Diclonius race, I have asked him to provide not only his hand in help, but also to provide another function. I have asked him to act as an assassin for me…under pay of course." Cents slightly smirked at the answer. "Money is a great motivator; it really does make the world go round."

Vorono didn't bother wiping the bead of sweat from his forehead, they both knew he was nervous about this. Vorono had known his old friend Garder for a long time and even now he could hazard a guess why he had brought, of all people, Vladimir to him. Garder, especially now, lived a life in the now and for the future, though his heart was seemingly stuck in the cold past. For him, Vladimir Cents was a man that he sought only because Cents provided the necessary functions to help him. Even Vorono would admit that, despite being a true monster, Vladimir Cents was a man with impeccable skills and abilities.

"I have also asked, that he allow you to be part of his group."

At those words, Girikuson had to stifle a hefty retort. He respected his old friend but this seemed like madness. "I am sorry sir, I don't think I can…" but then a thought came to him, an almost dirty one because it meant agreeing with Cents. "…Actually, if I did this…would I too be paid?"

The old man gave him a fleeting look. "I don't see why not, with the specific things I need done, I will grant payment for your actions on top of what you earn here. I am sure any other work you do for others, if such a thing comes, will also be required to pay a specific amount."

"So, is that how it is? Will you lead the way, The Perfect Soldier?" Cents uttered dementedly.

"I have no reason to lead. I am already the director of this specific facility, feel free to lead your group as you want."

"Hahahaha! Very nice, very nice indeed." Then his smiled vanished, his eyes narrowed and his lips became tight. It was such a sudden change in expression that it actually caught Vorono off guard. There was no sign of enjoyment, no sign of happiness or dark delight in his eyes or face. Vorono had seen that face on Vladimir only once before, nearly 5 years ago during his battle with Garder. His cold red eyes pierced directly at Garder, challenging him in every way while the old man returned the gaze with equal, yet calmer, ferocity.

"I have but one point to make. If I am to do this, you are to grant me one thing. You are both, to express without fail, without a single regret or pause, the greatest desire you have." The idea of looks could kill was most prevalent now, without violence, without words, a struggle of domination was fought between Garder and Vladimir in terms of sheer glare. For Vladimir, Garder's actions nearly 5 years ago was an act of unspeakable sin, worse than anything he himself had committed. Vladimir admired Garder because he always thought that the man was like him, not deranged or chaotic, but a man who followed his desires to the very end. He was the only person Cents had ever had a real respect for and by denying him death, by refusing to follow with the desire he once tried to claim, Vladimir felt pitiless fury for the old man. Even now, he still kept that prospect of revenge in his mind, he would never let Garder live that day down.

But he had also come when Garder called. The man had not begged, he had not pleaded or expressed any sorrow for his actions. He had just contacted him and asked if he would come to Japan to speak. He had felt furious the first time, this dreaming bastard who would dare to speak to him as if they were on equal levels. He wanted to come, if only for the purpose of lashing out and taking the man's head, showing it as a souvenir to his army. Yet he had come, not because Garder had asked, but because deep down, beyond the hate filled grudge and disappointment. The golden haired man still harbored admiration for the first and only man he had ever viewed as a true foe and rival.

"What is your desire?" Vorono asked quickly. The smile crept back on Cents' face. "It is what it has always been, what I had sought the moment it came to my mind and what I yearned for as I lead my army through the threshold of annihilation. I wish to create a world perfect suffering."

Vorono narrowed his eyes. "Still on that are you, Vladimir Cents. You must be fond of this anarchy."

"Anarchy?" Vladimir questioned. "I want to create a world of suffering, not a world without law. The world can't run without law or government, we'd get reduced to sniveling animals. I have no intentions of getting rid of order, I in fact support it. If I just let people do whatever the hell the wanted, I wouldn't have been able to keep Armata Lui Dracul under my control. I want to make a world of complete suffering, I want to create a world where there is order but murder, rape, destruction, is so common that it is like a daily chore for people. I want to rule that world, as the usurper king of the new world.

Ha! Anarchy? What a stupid concept that was, foolish men who thought of such things. I desire this world above all else and I will continue to grasp for it until my life has been extinguished.

Hahaha! So…I do hope your greatest desire is not to make a world of total peace."

The buff ex-Captain said nothing to this so Cents posed the question. "Do you have a desire, one above all others, one to seek without fail. No matter what happens, no matter what or who gets in your way, you will seek it? I am not here to grant wishes or dreams, only the most determined will be led by me."

The half-shaven haired man stepped towards the wall, placing his hand on it and then tightening his grip. The greatest desire that he had ever wished for? He had none in the past, he had, as Cents claimed, only dreams. Small wonders of thoughts that could not fully materialize. Even the idea of being a soldier or Captain had been just a small dream that had merely taken root. If he had to have a desire, it would have to be created now and it would have to be something that he would seek and yearn for throughout all the hell that he would go through. In his thought, he could see a small pink haired baby girl, her warmth and care taken away. He could see a young woman, once so beautiful and proud, reduced to wreck of madness. He could see countless eyes, pleading for release of this terrible place. He finally found his desire, something he would work for until the very end.

He desired through the hell and torment, through the murders, that he could at least give a few of these horned girls the salvation and protection that many of their sisters could not have. He would have to kill some of them, the thought had already been burned into his heart well before Cents had arrived to Japan, but if he could at least earn something to release them, then maybe he could do something. He secretly wondered if Garder would have even allowed such a thing, maybe not. But what about the others, there were more facilities out there and if money made the world go round, then if he could earn enough to bribe, his desires might come true. He really was a pacifist at heart and he just wanted to do something for those poor girls.

"Yes. I have my desire, above all else. Nothing will stop it, nobody will stop it. Not Garder, not you, not anyone."

"Ho?" Vladimir pleasured in the determination of the man's voice. With a single whip of his arm, he brought out his gun, aimed and fired once at Girikuson, knocking him against the wall. The man slid down slightly, caught his balance and ground his teeth. It wasn't a fatal shot, and for a trained soldier like Vorono, it would never have hindered him. Besides, he'd gone through much worse, the bullet hadn't even struck an organ. He'd just be feeling pain for about two weeks and he'd get over it in about 2 hours. But what Vladimir was searching for was not tolerance to pain, but the determination on his face. Nothing changed, Vorono's eyes still had that look of determination on him.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! How quaint, you are now a very interesting man...Vorono Girikuson. Oh we are in the country of waves, would you prefer that I call you Girikuson Vorono?" He laughed jovially without letting Vorono answered. "You should've showed this determination in the war, you were like a tank out there. Ah! That's it, that will be code name for you, does it have a nice ring to it? Your rank may change as more people are added but for now, you can view yourself as that.

2nd Cent, Vorono Girikuson, The Tank."

Reaching into his pocket, Cents pulled out two small objects and tossed them casually to Vorono who caught them easily. Two small silver coins, simple and unmarked. As the first, true member of 'Cents' I offer you these two coins. All the others would only be granted one, so use them wisely. These coins will act as a beacon to your abilities, I am merely throwing out ideas here but you could use those as a way to incorporate that amazing prowess you should during the war. He flicked his tongue and stuck it out, revealing the coin that would have the numeral one stamped on it at some point.

"It is rather useless to use this now, but with a single click and I break this in half, I can call Armata Lui Dracul over. It is my trump card, the last thing I use especially as Garder and the rest of you really did put a number on my men. I can no longer carelessly use my army as I did before. Oh please don't worry…" He added, taking quick notice of Vorono's reaction as well as the tensing of Garder's fist. "As I said, it would be useless to use this right now, my men are still stationed at my citadel, and it isn't like I can get them all to come here. But enough of that, I have another coin, a special one I might say designated for the strongest of us all. Usually that would be me, not to be coy or anything but there is another one here." His blood-red eyes circled around back to Garder.

"Your desires of killing me have long since passed, but to accept this, for me to waste even a second longer you must now have a desire. A new one, one that you can never give up, because I haven't forgiven you General Morotisan. I will never forgive you, not once, but what will you do? The precursor of the Zero Cents now rests in my palm, ready for a new master. The only person to rank higher than me, you would in turn have been the leader, but since you've so kindly refused that obviously means I would. But this coin will not be granted to you, until you have a desire ready.

…So what is it…Garder F. Morotisan? Do you have a desire, to grant beyond any other? Watching people die around you, killing, being killed, saving, destroying, loving, hating, all of it, besmirch it, for if it negates your desires, it is a pointless opposition. Tell me! Garder F. Morotisan, the only man to be granted the highest honor and yet holding my greatest hate. Have you picked a desire, because I won't hold back again, I haven't broken my promise, to make you suffer for the heinous act you pulled nearly 5 years ago."

Garder starred at the dull silver coin in Vlad's hand, plain, unmarked until later, the concept of desires etched metaphorically on every groove.

"What I desire most of all…" He thought. He reached out, and picked the coin from Cents' hand, holding it lightly as if expecting it to blow up suddenly. Knowing the man before him, such a thing wasn't entirely out of the question. He gripped it, dull, plain, unmarked, the same as his heart. Even the idea, Zero Cent, representing the zero emotion, zero care, that filled his heart. Was this Vladimir's way of toying with him? Was he really to accept the coin from the man that helped to murder hundreds of thousands? The reason he no longer had a son-in-law or a daughter? But he couldn't defy it because it represented who he was now, a man of logical outcome. Vladimir Cents was a brutal, despicable and heinous man who definitely deserved the worst punishment imaginable. But he was intelligent, cunning, a man with actions and plans whose could rally men with words alone. Because that's why Armata Lui Dracul followed him, why Garder called in for his assistance.

The man was incredible. A horrible bastard yes, but an incredible man who could gain the respect from his followers even if he didn't respect them in return. Did that mean that he respected him? The answer was yes, Garder respected that man because unlike him, that man had never given up. He never once, not once in a single instant, gave up that desire he always cherished. To make the world suffer, Garder couldn't let that happen, he refused to let it happen but he knew that Vladimir provided great assets that he could use. Logical reasoning, use the man to his advantage and be careful with what he does.

Tighter, the coin would leave a small indention on his hand after today, he actually loosened his grip in concern that he might break it. Though it felt like any other coin, it was definitely feebler.

"Yes…I have a new desire…I have had this desire ever since the war ended. I may have had it even before then. But then again, even if I didn't, would you truly leave? I don't require your assistance Cents, I have only asked for it."

"…I see…" The brutal man of wickedness utter, cold eyes of death and despair again burying into the pitched black ones that hid behind spectacles.

"…Keh…Keheh…Kekeheehe…" The low rumble of laughing his throat never left Vlad's mouth, just a gurgling sound, sick and obsessive. "How quaint, but what can I argue again right now? The first members have been decided, the ranks have been given, destined for change perhaps.

Vorono Girikuson, The Tank.

Garder F. Morotisan, The Perfect Soldier.

…And last, but certainly not least, myself.

…Vladimir Cents, The Incorrigible."

"Very well then Vladimir Cents, though it feels strange saying this I do thank you for coming. Unless there is more for you say, then you can leave." Garder uttered coldly, picking himself from his seat. "If it isn't too much, try not to create any problems when your leaving, the last thing I need is panic because the world's most dangerous man decided to waltz in."

Cents chuckled then with bowing deeply with hand in front and the other behind his back, he stated. "As you wish, Zero Cent, I diligently await the time when the members grow and the desires themselves." With parting words that only he would laugh at, Cents left, careful not to catch attention and following Garder's orders, he didn't lay one hand on anybody in the facility.


	26. To Kill A Person

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 26: To Kill A Person**

Ishori stood outside the walls of the facility, his car parked in another store's parking lot so that he could get a good look at the place without being suspected. So this was the place his brother worked at, in retrospect is seemed fairly normal. For most people, if something was to keep hidden, then being located in the middle of Tokyo surrounded by other people was not something that made sense. It was a rather clever idea of Kakuzawa, because it kept people from being too intrusive for their own good. It had been made quite clear with the creation of the first island facility and the people had to be given false pretenses about it. After all, a single facility located on an island out at sea caught far more attention that one surrounded by similar buildings.

But Ishori wasn't so sure anymore though his concern actually did not direct to the facility until later on. Jessica had again asked him to talk to Garder, to try and gain some amount of emotion from the lost man. He had first thought it would be easy getting in, imagined it as just any other location that he could at least come up to the front desk and ask questions. He couldn't even get past the gate, not without having some sort of pass and was thus forced to drive back. It felt strange for some reason, not to be able to enter the building in any sort of way. The location, from what he knew, specialized in the study of human evolution, a sort of biological lab as far as he could comprehend. He could assume that perhaps there was dangerous materials or chemicals inside it but that didn't explain the sheer amount of security.

He had driven off, picked up something to eat and then decided to check things out again. Obviously asking for entrance was out of the question. The sun was just getting down over the horizon, the stream of red, yellow and orange a visibly beautiful sight. He had yet to see his brother leave yet, and his car was still there meaning that even if he hadn't left from the front entrance, he would eventually come this way. People went in and out, passing cards in front of the guards, and at one point some strange black van pulled in and out to the back. He wasn't sure, the sounds of the city obscuring a lot of it, but he was almost certain he had heard gunshots. It only made him more anxious of course, wanting to know more answers.

The last bead of sunlight dipped down, leaving the brisk twilight before darkness came. More people began leaving and then finally the guards stationed during this time period began to leave. For the first time, an entrance way to the facility was left open.

Was it curiosity or just stupidity that made him what to check it out? Probably both, but logic had given up to obscurity as Ishori found himself stepping out of his car and walking back to the large structure. He had to laugh to himself, attempting to enter without permission, what kind of husband and father was he? He could see it now, in prison, his wife shaking her head disappointedly with tears in her eyes and young Elrya starring with incomprehension on her face. The poor child wondering why her father had become such a derelict mess.

He took another step forward. "Come on Ishori, head back home, Jessica and Elrya are waiting." But he didn't do that, instead he actually found himself right outside the very door to the inside of the facility, his hand reaching for the knob. He expected someone to come out, expected sirens and wails and to be carted off in cuffs. "Please be locked" he still had time, he could still walk away and he mentally hoped the door was shut tight. But it wasn't and he was actually pleased somewhat that the door opened for him and he was able to step inside. At that point, he no longer cared about legal actions. Something was strange and wrong about this place and he wanted to find out what.

White, blank stark white walls creating hallways that stretched on. Each step he took echoed unnervingly loudly, ones he sure was to catch attention. A shiver went down his back, something about this place was definitely wrong. But on he went, walking through, until he finally got to a small but oddly out of place doorway that just seemed to beckon him to open it.

"Turn back, I should turn back and…"

He did turn, the knob of the door that was. It slid open, and at last he saw the fruits that facility produced.

!

At first he thought it was his own shadow, ignoring its obscene angle because there was no way he'd ever think there was a real person cuffed to the wall with traces of blood on her. The young girl had a pair of visibly large horns on her head, not unlike his own daughter Elrya. What was she doing here? What was that blood? What the hell was anything? Closer, he could see her head lift up at him, her dark red eyes peering through the strands of violet hair. Those eyes, cold, murderous and hurt, the blood was certainly from her. He managed to take another step closer when something hit the floor with a loud bang, scaring him. Nothing was around, nothing to fall nothing to tip over but it had definitely come from the room. Once again he gazed back to the girl who again propped on the wall could not do much either.

"Are you…hurt?"

She didn't answer, just gave him another gaze of loathing. For her, she might have thought the man was just another member of the facility. Her vector again scrapped the wall, frightening the man who of course had no clue of what was going on.

"I can help you. Girl, let me help you get out of here." He tried to reason with her, unknowingly being smart by not getting any closer. Her gaze lessened a bit, perhaps this man would be different from the others?

"You don't listen well do you?"

!

Turning on the spot, Ishori found himself face to face with his older brother Garder who starred emotionlessly at him as he closed the door. "The guards told you not to come, explicitly told you not to enter. It would seem that I now need to add some more thought in the security of this place."

"G-Garder! What are you doing here? What is this place? Who is this girl?" Ishori had many questions and he wanted them answered now. Garder gave him a fleeting look then said in a low voice. "This is a facility utilized in the subjugation and experimentation of horned people known as Diclonius, one of them being that girl there. It is my job as the new Director of the facility, to oversee this place."

"And you've been…torturing this girl?"

"I have done nothing, but oversee what has already been brought to light." Garder uttered with cold vindictiveness. "But I assume if we are to be blunt, then yes, these girls have been tortured. It is the place that I will be bringing Elrya to, when and if she ever gets out of hand."

Rage and also sorrow broke Ishori's heart. "You mean, you were going to take my daughter to this…hell of a place…and have her…" He couldn't speak the words, but he pointed at the girl chained to the wall. "What kind of man have you turned into Garder? What kind of man goes from wanting to save the world, from wanting to protect those in war, to this?" It had to be some sort of cruel joke, someone was going to open up the fake walls and give out a merry 'just kidding" while the girl wiped off the red paint and everyone had a good chuckle over it.

"Do not be foolish Ishori, my ideals have not changed. I wish to save humanity but sometimes changes and hard decisions have to be made. I already told you, that the world is not made of black and white, it is a multi-gray scaled world of light and darkness. To attain what I desire…" The last word left a rather bitter taste on the edge of his tongue, obviously no doubt from his last experience having used the word and the people he was with. "…I must abandon emotional output and look upon the world with logical meaning."

"…This is crazy! Garder, you've become a madman! You've become a monster! I can't let this go on!"

"What I've become does not matter, it is what is earned at the end that matters. Even if the world sees me as the tyrant, if I am to attain what I need, I will gladly accept that place in the world. But you know what the worst of this is right now." Ishori startled, then took a few steps back when Garder pulled from his brown coat a small black pistol and aimed it at him. "…That I now have to kill another member of my family for the sake of my so called ideals." There was no sadness in his eyes, not shake of his hand, no bead of sweat to drip from his forehead. Nothing to say that Garder felt any sort of misguided feeling from aiming a gun at his own brother.

Ishori was already against the wall, fear and most importantly surprise etched on his poor face. "G-Garder, please, don't do this. What will my wife do without me? What Elrya do without me? What are you going to tell them? Y-You can't do this, I don't want to be without them. Please Garder….have a little heart, I want to see them again." The sound of the trigger clicking in his ear brought a new wave of fear, not of death, but of inability to ever see Jessica or Elrya again. He wanted to see them, to his wife's beautiful face, to see his daughter's dazzling smile. He wanted to hear his child yelling "daddy" with glee. He did not want to see the end of his life, in this chamber with a tortured girl and his brother lost so far in misery.

Even now, Vladimir' curse continued to haunt him The old man could hear it inside of his head eve now, the terrible screams of hate at him. Was this to go on until the end? Was those he cared about to be wiped away continuously, even by his own hand, until his own end? Then so be it, he would accept his fate. If the entire world was against him, then for the sake of what he needed to do, he would face that opposition. He would accept his sins and his fate for the sake of the world.

"Please Garder…please…plea…"

***BLAM!***

It was over in an instant. He was barely even aware that the gun had gone off, and the blood splatter was surprisingly thin. There was a single hole dead center of Ishori's forehead, his expression forever frozen in an act not so much of fear, but of a deep and painful regret. A thin line of red dripped down the forehead, too small, almost insignificant. Wipe away the blood and stitch up the wound and nobody would even know he had been shot. The Diclonius who had been cuffed to the wall said nothing, waves of nausea hitting her. She didn't feel too sorry about the man, they hadn't exactly known each other but for some reason, looking at Garder's impassive face made her want to vomit. She did not feel fear for her own life, she still felt confident in her own abilities in whatever the Director might do, despite her obviously wrong ideas. But this was different, no feelings, no emotional output. At least when Diclonius killed, even if they didn't show emotion, you could tell that inside there was at least hate burning inside of them.

She saw none of that, he could barely be qualified as being human now. He wasn't even a murderer, even that is designated for human notions. The only type of word that could describe it was an act. That what he was now, just an act, following out instructions of his horrendous ideals. Garder starred, unblinkingly at the corpse and wanted to yell. He wanted to scream, to cry, to shoot himself. He wanted to beg the world for forgiveness, to beg Jessica and Elrya for forgiveness. He wanted to wake his brother up, to tell him he was sorry, to fix his wound and laugh like he used to do with his friends. He wanted to reverse time, reverse the gunshot, not only this one but of his time in the war, when he ended Veronica's life. He wanted to reverse everything to the beginning and exclude his entrance as a soldier. But most of all, as his dead eyes starred unblinkingly, while tears streamed down his face, he wanted to feel something.

Because he felt nothing now. His tears were only a biological factor that his body went through, the actions that he didn't know. He was only aware that something was going down his face and that it was his tears and that he should feel a great sense of regret. But he couldn't, his heart could not feel a single twinge of regret even if his physical body was crying its soul out. Before, he would have understood his plight, would've dropped to his knees and cry into his brother's chest while constantly begging for forgiveness. He would have had a heart, he would have understood the deplorability of his actions.

But not now. Logical understanding overrode the insignificant realities of his body. He could cry again and again and never notice it. He wanted, so desperately to feel something, an act even some enjoyment. Didn't Vladimir have enjoyment when he murdered people? Was he really without emotion, just a dead soul in a living body? Was he now even worse than a man who planned to commit mass genocide and global terror for sheer personal enjoyment?

Why couldn't he feel anything? Weren't tears a form of misery, of regret, so why couldn't he feel it?

The Diclonius widened her eyes as Garder suddenly brought his pistol up and placed against his head. Killing himself would be a good start, after the shit he had done. Wasn't that a logical choice? But his finger wouldn't pull, wouldn't budge, wouldn't even twitch a centimeter. He might as well have just pointed his own finger at his head. Dropping the weapon back to his side, he would have to dispose of the body, and then bring a story to Jessica.

Feel something!

Feel anything!

Hate, regret, happiness, joy, sorrow, fear, shock.

Anything!

*BANG!*

The first gun shot, against the wall where the bullet's indention was left. Now the girl felt true pity, an overwhelming sense of loss that no human or Diclonius should ever have to through. He fired again, continuously, each time hoping to gain an emotional impact of some sort. He fired until all the round were gone, leaving the gun empty and derelict and yet holding more than his soul did. His hand wouldn't even shake, his tears had finally dried up though he would barely remember them anyways. His brother was dead, never to rise, never to see his family again, never to breathe or love or laugh again.

…There was nothing.

* * *

><p>"…Ah! Ahhh! NO! NO! NO! NO! Gyaaaah!" Jessica's screams of despair could not surprise anyone but Garder did wish she would stop. Not because it annoyed her, but because as much as he wanted to feel sorrow from her cries, he could not. A simple lie had done it, how easy it was to deceive people. He understood why Vladimir used it so often. Garder had waited until the next night and told that Ishori had "accidently" entered into one of the more secured areas of his work and that due to a mishap, was killed. He made it out as if the man had only wandered in somewhere, perhaps unknowingly getting himself into a bad place. The facility itself would fill in any story that Jessica might ask, but if she wanted to ask anything, she'd ask him herself. He could fill in the blanks, lie between his teeth.<p>

"Ishori…Ishori…Ahhh…Ahhhhh!"

"You should get a funeral prepared, my brother was a good man. I will also see that those responsible are at the very least reprimanded. My men were only doing as they saw fit but they overreacted." It was so easy to lie, no wondered Cents did it constantly.

Sniffing uncontrollably, she latched onto Garder, holding him while crying continuously in his chest, needing someone to hold her. His arm might have gone around her, offering comfort, but his heart was not there. He hated it, hated it most of all. Feel something, anything.

"Garder, I…I can't take it. What am I going do without him? He-He always meant well, always loved me. He always l-loved Elrya too. You should see her face sometimes when he's around, he's the only one who could m-make her laugh so happily! Ahhh! Ahhhhh! Guh, gah!" Jessica choked, holding her arms now around herself as she collapsed to the floor, despair overwhelming her. Gently lifting her back up, he placed her back on the couch and pulled the blanket over her body where she held it tightly.

"…I will be going now. I am sorry for what has happened, you know I am. Please rest now."

As he was about to close the front door behind him, he could he could hear a small voice.

"Mommy…where's daddy?" This was the first time he had heard Elrya's voice. "Mommy…when is daddy coming home?" Soft and timid, like any child, just like Veronica was when she was 4 years old. He couldn't see it of course, but he was positive Jessica was now hugging her daughter tenderly while tears rolled down her cheeks. "Mommy…I want daddy to come home. Alya wants to see him as well, right Alya?"

Alya? An imaginary friend perhaps but somewhat new that she would make up one based on her last name.

And then Elrya too started to scream and weep too. "Ahhhh! Daddy! I want daddy to come back! Where's daddy mommy? Ahhh! Ah! Ah!" Even a 4 year old can understand death, even if they can't believe it at first. Elrya might not know why, but she knew her father would not be coming back.

At last he closed the door.

Little Elrya hugged her mother, resting on her bosom with the blanket over both of them. She continued to weep sensible tears as her mother spoke to her. "Elrya, we're going to have a funeral for daddy."

"F-Fun…era…al?" She asked tenderly.

"Yes, and you know what, I'll give you something big afterwards. We'll have a huge cup of ice cream, of so many flavors. Anything you want we'll get it." She liked that, it sounded good to her childish mind. "Can we give some to Alya as well?" Her mother laughed at her daughter's through of an imaginary friend. "Yes, we can give Alya some too."

"…Thanks."

A shiver, it didn't last a second but a very cold shiver did go down Jessica's spine. Because at that moment, she heard her daughter's voice change drastically. "Are you ok Elrya?"

"Y-Yes mommy, Alya was only saying thanks."

"O-Oh, I see. Thank you…A-Alya." Just in her head, she had merely heard things.

"Can I get a lot of ice cream mommy? You won't yell at me if I get more right?" So childish, so innocent, so full of wonder.

"That's right my dear Elrya, all you can eat. Your father loved you very much, a lot more than I think you realize. Please understand that my little girl, he loved you a lot."

"…D-Did you love daddy?"

"Yes Elrya, I loved him a lot. He was really lazy sometimes, but he meant well. And when I was pregnant with you, he did all he could to make things easier for me. You should see it, well you couldn't, you were being born, but he held by hand the entire time I was giving birth to you. He loved me and you very much, my little Elrya-chan." She found herself using the timid Japanese honorific, something she barely did as Ishori was the one with the Japanese background. But it made her daughter giggle, adding the cuteness that she truly was.

"M-Mommy?"

"Yes, Elrya?"

"Can you see, that song again?"

Her mother caressed her daughter's hair gently, then brought her lips the child's ear. Slowly she sang the song she sung to her all the time, the same one she sung to Veronica too. The music of the woman's voice was a calming river of sound to the child's ear, a vibration of musical accompaniment created only by a voice. Elrya closed her eyes, and finally dozed off to sleep in her mother's embrace.

* * *

><p>One year had passed, as well as few months. Garder as usual made weekly visits to the Alya household, always coming at night and not once did Elrya ever see him, always sleeping and by the time she may have woken up to see who else was there, Garder had left long ago. The funeral a year ago had been short, terribly simplistic for such a good man who didn't deserve to die the way he did. He had stood there, in the back, unseen by the rest, just as desperate as before to feel some sort of emotional impact. Jessica might have seen his tears as a sign of his grief, unfortunately she was far from the truth. He may have cried that day but he certainly didn't feel it, dead on the inside, his tears were as before the unconscious biological structure that he had no control over. A dust gets into the eye, tears stream down, but you feel nothing about it.<p>

After that, the usual happened, sadness for the first few months and then Jessica as anyone would, was able to move on. She probably found strength in Elrya, a reason for her to live and perhaps she found strength in Garder whom she probably saw as kindness whenever he came.

Things had been going relatively easy since then, there hadn't even been any obscene deaths with the Diclonius. Riku, if he was behind it, was smartly keeping himself low and not doing anything out of place. The ex-Director was now a man whom if Garder didn't have monthly administrations for the staff, would never have known the man even existed now. Riku liked to keep quiet but at the same he wasn't obscured, he just liked to be alone. There was a definite improvement in his physique, he had put on a some healthy weight, his face was clean and shaven. The air of misery, while prevalent enough and perhaps for anyone who worked in the facility, was there for all, had diminished greatly from the last time. No longer in charge, Riku was able to relax more, see his family more and become much more healthy both mentally and physically.

That was until three weeks later, when he decided it was time to release another Diclonius. It was as usual, he took on the night shift in which he would be the last to leave even making sure that Garder had left as well. The elderly war veteran was not fooled though by the antics and while he couldn't be there personally, he did have his plans. He called in his friend Vorono, friend being just a simple word for employee now a days and gave him the orders.

"Riku Kusoku appears to be releasing Diclonius without my orders. I have set up a hidden camera within the Diclonius basement. If I what I suspect will be on the tape is true, you have been given orders to kill that man. I can't allow him to release these dangerous girls out in the open like this, especially against my own orders and judgment." Vorono on the other end said nothing, so this was his first job, to kill a man outside of war.

"You will be paid of course, as a member of Cents I am obligated to do that."

"Of course sir, I only hope you are wrong." Girikuson at last muttered, hanging up. The next morning, arriving early as he always did, Garder checked up on the tape, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at what he saw. Hook line and sinker, the man releasing one of the girls in the middle of the night and carting her off. It was enough proof right there and just for the record, he even went to the database and saw that the particular girl had been typed out as "deceased" with a short paragraph of what apparently had happened. Typical lie, but one that had worked well for the past years, not anymore though. "I am giving you the location of his home address as well as his vehicle. I will let you do as…hold on."

Another call from another source.

"Hello."

"Hello, Director Morotisan? This is Riku"

Garder flashed his eyes dangerously, but listened. "I hope you don't mind but I want to take today off."

A day off, it wasn't uncommon and even those working in the facility were allowed such a things a sick days and vacations. Riku may have legitimately wanted the day off and spend time at home but Garder had to be on top alert. What if Riku decided to run off? What if he decided to spill important secrets that the world wasn't supposed to know? This was why the facility was required to hand out specific personal information, in case anyone was stupid enough to defect. So be it then, Riku could have his final day off, because he would not be having another one, ever again.

"Alright Riku, I will allow it."

"Thank you Director Morotisan."

Hanging up, Garder returned back to his call with Vorono. "Kusoku just called, he states he wanted to have the day off. As far as its concerned he may be speaking the truth but I want to be careful. He may try to skip town, go on somewhere else and unleash information that he no need to release. Either way the information has already been given and the facts are straight, even if he wasn't going to skip town he is still under orders for execution. As I was saying before, I will allow you to do as you please in eliminating him and I will pay you the sum necessary."

"…So kill him?"

"Aye, kill him. As long as I am here I will not allow insubordination and false pretenses arise in my facility. The man brought this on himself and he will pay for the consequences. I am already in line of explaining Ishori's death so it is unwise for me to get directly involved right now."

Vorono breathed a heavy sigh. "I understand, you know I hate it, but I'll do it."

"Good, report back to me when you are finished."

"…Aye sir…"

* * *

><p>"Where are we going papa!" Miriana squealed with joy in the back of the black vehicle, her bright eyes gazing at her father's back seat. She had turned six years old three months ago, her body small and her hair flowing down her back. She kicked her small feet and waited for her father's answer. Her mother too was in the car, eyes half closed in thoughtless wonder as she starred out the window.<p>

"Well Miriana, I thought we could take you to the amusement park today."

"Ah!" Gasping happily, Miriana beamed so appreciatively her smile spread from cheek to cheek. "Really papa? Are we really going to the park? Thank you! Thank you!" She repeated the words, earning playful laughs from both her parents. She like her mother turned to the windows, tinted black on the outside so that people couldn't see inside, facility protocol though not that Riku ever told his family this. She was going to the park, and she was going to have so much fun with her mother and father. Miriana smiled all the way through, watching the trees, cars, building and people pass by and having the sensation of just wanting to greet every one of them.

"Will I get to buy a new toy?" She inquired childishly.

"You can buy three new toys!"

He face again split open while her father looked at her smile in his upper mirror. "Really! Really! Really! Thank you! Thank you! You're the best papa, the very best papa in the whole wide world. You and mama both, you're both so great!" Having been raised to know nothing but love, Miriana couldn't even comprehend such things as evil or despair right now. She could only comprehend utter joy and innocence, her laughter pure like the rest of her. Today was going to be so great, perhaps the best day of her entire life.

"…And may I have a three new toys the next day?"

"Hahaha, yes you can." Riku said to his overly excited daughter. A bit of fib on that part but anything to see his daughter smiling so much right now. He didn't think he'd ever seen her this happy before, her body shaking from the pure excitement at being given so many hopeful opportunities. She laughed, laughed so much that she was beyond adorable, and he loved her so much. His precious little Miriana, laughing at him, proud of him, his wife smiling at him as well.

"…Thank you papa! Thank you mama! I love you both so…"

***BAM!*'**

!

She had heard something loud, glass breaking, a splatter of something and her mother screaming. She wasn't sure why, but it frightened her badly. The car twisted and turned, veering off to the side as she clutched her seatbelt as if it would somehow do something. Her mother was still screaming, reaching over to her father's seat and saying strange things. Was her father alright? What had happened.

"M-Mama! What's wrong…!"

***SMASH!***

!

Something hit her, or rather she was pushed into something. Still not able to comprehend it, she felt her world go dark and the very front of her being pushed forward. Why were the seats in front coming towards her, threatening to smother her. Further, her mind still not able to comprehend what was going on as the car crashed into the concrete wall. Her father, having been shot in the head already was dead. Her mother, her eyes still wide and fearful, was crushed instantly by the impact, dying if any good point, painlessly and quickly. The impact pressed against Mirana's legs, forcing them back until she heard the loud snap of her bones. As the crash was going on in real time, far faster than Miriana knew, she could not scream out in pain yet. Less than two seconds, that it's all it had taken before her world suddenly became too hot and bright. It burned, her skin burned, her clothes burned and she couldn't move, but she was moving. The impact had thrown her right out the very window, cutting her horribly but even that was nothing to sensation of her flesh peeling off. Crashing to the ground, she then at point felt the eruption of unlawful pain and misery.

"AHHHH! AHHH! AH! AHHHHHHH! MAMA! PAPA! HELP ME!" She was on fire, her entire body burning both on the outside and on the inside. She tried kicking her legs and only found herself feeling the searing pain shoot up her spine. "AH! UUUAAAGH! AH! MAMA! PAPA! HELP ME! PLEASAE HELP ME! IT HURTS IT HURTS!" Screaming, screaming for release from the pain, she twisted, and squirmed, trying to figure out something. Trying to figure out where things had gone wrong. But most of all, she wanted comfort, the pain to stop and she wanted to see her mother and father again.

On a hill top, a large rifle over his shoulders, Vorono starred sadly at the scene. "Tsk, why did there have to be more people in there?" When Miriana had flown out the window, Vorono had choked. There was nothing he could do about it though. The sirens of the ambulance was already arriving, there was no point in staying.

Elsewhere, watching the same scene, Vladimir Cents clicked his tongue happily then broke out into a fit of laughter. "Kyahahahahaha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Keh! Hehehe! So perfect, what splendid array of suffering that way. Listen to her, screaming, the sound of her body in perfect turmoil, how it must have felt, little girl. Hahahaha! Hahaha! Ha! Ha! I love it so much, this sensation of perfect suffering, so tasteful, I want to lick up her very tears right now!" And he continued to laugh, on and on seeing what to him was total bliss.

* * *

><p>Author's Note" Another chapter for "Pinpoint Zero" now finished. We're coming near the end of the story, probably about 5-10 more chapters. Please R&amp;R and feel free to give any feedback that you'd like. I hope that anyone who is reading this story is still enjoying it.<p> 


	27. Limelight Divide Logistics

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 27: Limelight Divide Logistics**

"Happy birthday Elrya-chan!" The little girl giggled as she rubbed her face against her mother's cheek, the woman holding her precious daughter tightly as the child woke up for the morning. The words struck her happily as the child hugged her mother than bound out of bed. Today was her birthday, today she would be five years old.

"What are we going to do today mommy? Are we going somewhere nice? What do I get?" Her joyous expression was uplifting especially what had happened a few months ago with the death of her father. She looked around then smiled again while racing to the opposite side of the room. "Good morning Alya, today's my birthday."

"Really? It's my birthday also." Alya exclaimed her eyes full of wonder. Elrya's mother again frowned, unsure of why her daughter was acting like that. It was one thing to have an imaginary friend but this was beyond that. Watching her, her daughter all alone just staring at a wall and speaking to it. Her voice changing, talking back to herself as if she was having a legitimate conversation. Part of her wanted to get this checked out, but she didn't want to ruin her baby girl's birthday. Maybe it was only a phase that Elrya would grow out of. It wasn't like she knew anything of how a child's mind work or how imagination worked. This may have just been Elrya's own way of playing with herself considering she never got out of the house that often. Garder had been rather explicit in saying that Elrya shouldn't be allowed to leave the house. Elrya would also need to start her education soon now she was older, the girl only having a simplistic view of the world.

The girl ran around the room, laughing, talking to Alya and seemingly having a great time. Jessica pushed the negative thoughts out of her head. Alya was only a figment of the child's imagination, her last name creating a friend for her. It did bother Jessica a bit, afraid that when Elrya did go out in the open, she may not be able to make real friends easily. Perhaps she would talk to Garder about this, after all he seemed to have a little bit of knowledge on Elrya, and her so called horns.

The horns, the doctors had treated it as merely a bone mutation and since Jessica knew that Veronica had horns too, she just saw it as something hereditary.

"Alya, what do you want to do today?" The five year old girl asked her friend as Alya put her finger to her lips. Alya was always confident and her ideas were almost always fun. After all it had been her that had taught Elrya how to use her nifty little hands. Even now her vectors swirled around her, fingers gripping the air and messing with Alya's own in a playful manner. "Do you want to show mommy these?" the little girl asked.

Alya tilted her head to the side. "I don't know if she can see them? But if we pick something up maybe we can show her that way. She should praise us."

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

Jessica was cooking Elrya's meal, her hands working dexterously before her little girl came over to her, pulling on the white apron that she wore. "Mommy! I have something really nice to show you." Her face split happily, looking urgently around and then seeing something gleaming in the corner up near a cabinet. A small knife, her little mind not able to understand such a dangerous utensil yet. As her mother watched her, waiting for her child to perhaps open up her hand and show her something childish but lovely, the knife floated behind her.

"…" Alya emerged, her eyes flashing dangerously as she saw the knife floating there, her arm coming out and grabbing it out of Elrya's own vector. Suddenly she felt hot but her face remained sweat-free, her fist clenched together as she continue to look at the knife and then back at Jessica's whose smile faltered, still waiting for Elrya to give her whatever she wanted to give. "Elrya, dear…is something wrong?" But neither Elrya nor Alya the current personality answered, her eyes fixated on the floating dagger and then back at Jessica. That woman, something inside of her, something she couldn't explain perhaps didn't even know about, was a danger. Alya gripped the dagger in her corporeal hand, tightening, pointing the tip to the woman's back.

Sharp, the knife was very sharp, sharp enough to pierce her flesh. This woman, this person, this…

She couldn't comprehend the word "human" yet, having never even heard the word before so Alya wasn't sure what to call her. This woman was Elrya's mother wasn't she, her mother in fact but, something seemed different about her. That smile was, unfocused to her, unlovely, despicable. That woman was not taking care of Elrya, that woman was…

…was…

The knife jerked for just a second, as if Alya was about to drop it.

Jessica frowned when her child bent her head down, most of her hair covering her face and a small grin now spreading over her face. It was not a childish smile, one full of innocence, it was dark and heinous. "E-Elrya, what's…Guah!" It bashed into her back, stabbing through the lumbar region of her spine as her knees buckled from the paralysis. The pain didn't even register at first, she imagined that she had only slipped and fallen on her stomach. The instinctive voice twisted the dagger more into Jessica's spine, finally catching the most sensitive nerves as the woman screamed miserably. Elrya was still standing there, not moving, her smile unchanging but leaving Jessica horrified yet confused.

"Ahh! Ah! Why won't…ugh…my legs move!" Jessica gasped, trying to move them, attempting to sense some sort of feeling in them. Whatever had gone into her back had not been released and the woman felt that perhaps somebody had attacked her from behind. But when she turned her neck, there was nobody, no man pushing a weapon into her back. Her arms, still working, finally reached around, grabbing the hilt before desperately pulling it.

"Hehehehehe…."

Laughter? Was her child…laughing at her?

A splatter of blood, a pain near her elbow and something heavy falling down to the floor. Because the pain in her back was so bad, the pain of her missing arm had yet to register on her mind. She only knew that when she looked down, she could see her arm lying motionless, blood still leaking out from the torn end. In a thought of dark realization, her eyes widened terribly when her fingers did not move. That arm lying there couldn't have been hers, the slender flesh broken off at an obscene angle. Hyperventilating the poor woman gasped and started to crawl to the phone. Laughter still echoed in her ears, one that sounded far too much like Elrya's own voice. But it wasn't her, Elrya wouldn't be doing this, hell there was no way she could have. Instead she should be telling her baby girl to run away, to hide from…whatever the hell was attacking her!

Good hand reaching up, she clutched the phone, coughing of blood and vomit and her body began to convulse uncontrollably.

"Hehehehehe…"

"R-Run away Elrya…ahhhh! Guh! Ogahah! R-R-Run aw-away…" Focus, her mind kept going in and out, her eyes quivering as did her bloody lip. What was Garder's number again, her fingers pressed the numbers, hoping she was reaching him, hoping she hadn't dialed the wrong ones. Then and there, Jessica didn't think she was going to make it, but if she could reach Garder, maybe he would help Elrya and save her. She couldn't even hold onto the phone and when it dropped loudly as she collapsed, she feared at the bottom of her heart that nobody would answer.

…

...

"…Jessica…what is it?" At last, Garder's low and monotonous voice finally answered.

"Ugh…guah…"

"Jessica. Is something wrong?"

"…Haa…ahh….haa…haa. G-G-Garder…help…Elrya…please help her."

…

…

Unable to answer, she realized that her daughter was now standing above her, the grin of dementedness ready to swallow her whole. "This is fun…right?" Alya asked sadistically, unseen vectors rising above her head. Elrya watched with morbid fascination, assuming this was some sort of game, watching it, feeling it, yet not understanding it. Jessica watched her, and before it ended, she knew that the one who attacked her, was her own precious baby girl.

The first hand went down, then the second, then a third. They ripped, tore, disemboweled the woman with no sense of morality. Blood, spit and vomit mixed with the streaming pile of entrails that splattered again the floor, forcing the woman to twitch uncontrollably. Her gut was open up, so badly that her own rib cage had been split open, spread open like a blooming flower with her innards flung out at random angles. She had been opened up, a bloody blossom that spluttered, choked and convulsed while tears streamed down her face.

…Ahhh…ugh…oooh…"

Darkness.

Perpetual darkness as death overtook her.

"Hahaha! Hahahaha! That was fun right!" Elrya had finally gotten in control, her cute eyes wide and curious as she looked down at her mother, the blank eyes starring in opposite directions now. "Hahaha…hahah…ha…haha…" Usually when people were happy, they laughed, so why wasn't her mother laughing as well? Was the joke really not that funny? Did she not enjoy the bright red lights and swishy sounds? It was only now that she came to understand that her mother didn't look so well. Elrya had been entirely focused on her mother's face that she didn't seem to know what to think when she looked down and saw her body split open like some sort of heinous flower.

"…M-Mommy?" No longer happy, her dear sweet mother would wipe off whatever was sticking on her as if it was some sort of trash, get up and then hug her, wishing her an amazing happy birthday again. "G-G-Get up mommy, please get up." The Diclonius nudged the woman's still warm hand, gripping the finger and then messing with her hair. She patted her cheek, even licked her face as if thinking that something obscene would get her attention. The body didn't movie, the eyes still remained unfocused, staring in opposite directions.

Elrya, wasn't sure what to think. Had something happened to her?

"Mommy…" a little girl, unable to realize what she had done, unable to understand or comprehend it, fell to her knees and began to sob viciously. "Ehhh! Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Mommy! Wake up! Wake up! Ahhhhh! Ah! Ahhhh! Ahhhhh!" Loudly, too loud for her own ears as she crouched down next to her mother's disfigured corpse and cuddled next to her. The only warmth she felt was that of the blood sticking to her, leaning in closer and wishing that sweet hands would caress her. Too much for her little mind to handle, she sobbed a wreckage of misery, barely aware that footsteps had entered into the room.

"Fucking shit! She…" The voice was new to her but something hit in the back of the neck, painful only for a second and then it went dark.

…

…

As the men took the unconscious girl away to the black van, Garder stood before Jessica's broken body, his glasses perched at the end of his nose.

First Nicholas.

Then Veronica.

Next Ishori.

Now Jessica.

"Jessica, why…?" he asked the rhetorical question in a soft whisper.

…

…

Unmoving, of course she wouldn't move, she was dead. Like before, Garder's eyes filled up with tears but his own heart and soul could not feel it. But he did remember something, a day ago before the tragedy and unfolded. He regretted not doing it then, when he come to Jessica's home in the hopes of bringing Elrya with him. Why had he not flowed his own logic and taken Elrya away when he had the chance?

"You can't do it Garder! She's not a bad girl, I mean…she's the daughter of your brother! She's Ishori's daughter and that means she's your niece! Can't you have any sort of connection with her!"

Connection? He had no connection. But something had kept him from taking her, maybe the thing that his logic couldn't reach. Empathy, he felt for Jessica who had lost so much and the little girl who loved her mother so much.

"Please Garder…I beg of you…she isn't a bad girl. Please, I beg of you, take care of her."

Those had been the last words Jessica had ever spoken to him about. The last words he would ever hear from the beautiful woman.

"…Why Jessica? Why didn't you listen?"

…

…

The day was too bright. Weren't sad days supposed to be filled with gloom and rain? "Sir, we've got the Diclonius incapacitated, shall we bring her to the facility?" An armed man spoke sternly. Garder nodded his head once, straightening his shoulder slightly to get his brown coat in a more comfortable position. Before the doors to the black van closed, he walked over, his black slit eyes eying the little girl now sleeping in there. That girl had murdered her own mother, despite the obvious love the child gave and felt, she had brutally torn the woman apart cruelly. But now she slept, silently, dreamlessly, just a little girl with horns.

*Click*

A gun to her head, he could shoot her right now, right in the van without any problem. He was the director, nobody would say anything. Pull the trigger, release the bullet, a little blood, even some brain matter, and it would all be over. The girl wouldn't even suffer, while her mother died slowly, she herself would get a peaceful end. Elrya Alya was already asleep, so it wouldn't even be death. Instead, just the eternal sleep, never to move, never to wake, never to cause harm again.

Logic told him to move, pull the trigger now.

Pull! Pull! Pull! Pull! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! SHOOT HER NOW!

…But he couldn't. Logic for the first time lost to empathy, even if Garder couldn't directly feel it himself. All he knew was that he could kill his own daughter, he could kill his own brother, he could kill hundreds of thousands of people, both meaningful and meaningless to him. Yet, this five year old girl, asleep with tears still on her face was different.

"…_Please take care of her…Garder…"_

He couldn't shoot her.

Instead he drove in his car, following the van to his facility as they circled around to the back entrance and dropped her off. She had yet to wake up before Garder took her to the biological room to get her tested out. Once it was done, she was taken to a cell before Garder returned back to the data room, greeted by Vorono his guard and Vladimir Cents who as being the boss of Vorono, in a technical sense, had come in when Garder's had mentioned what was going on. For the most part, Vladimir wouldn't have cared so much, but when it was mentioned that the Diclonius was related to him and his family, it had tweaked his interest.

"So who is this little girl?" Vladimir asked darkly.

"Elrya Alya." Vorono answered simply.

"Oh ho? Did she kill her parents?"

No need to answer that question. Garder went straight to what he wanted. Ilya had been the same, the daughter of his own, a Queen Diclonius yet pronounced as a Siplilet to keep her at least safer than before. Ilya was a long lost memory now, but this time, he focused on Elrya Alya, the tests giving him his answer. He didn't get to read them first, he didn't care either that Vladimir took the paper running out of the machine and glancing down at it. He knew his answer right away when the smile that was nearly always on Cents' face widened before his teeth broke out in a broad grin.

"Hahahahaha! Hahaha! You have a quaint family Garder! First that woman, your dear precious daughter…and now this girl?" Vorono looked at the paper, his eyes now widening broadly as well. "You mean she's…"

"Aye Tank, she is. What we have here…is a Queen Diclonius."

"Wrong."

Surprised, Cents and Girikuson looked over at him.

"Sorry to disappoint you Perfect Soldier, but the truth's in the digital writing."

"Wrong. She may be biologically able to give birth, but she will not be signified as that. She is a Sipilet." That's right, even if the girl was truly a Queen, she would be seen a Sipilet by all the others. He knew Vorono would keep his word, not to tell anyone about it but Cents was somebody that needed to be dealt with. "Listen to Cents, I have something that you are to do. We all know who this girl is, what she is capable of and her biological components. Do not discuss this with anyone other than myself. Do you understand me?"

"Hahahaha! I understand you, but that doesn't mean I'll agree with you." Vladimir uttered distastefully.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear; I'll say it in a way that you do understand Vladimir Cents. You will speak to nobody but me about this. There is actually no reason for you to bring this girl's truth up to anyone. You are not a member of my facility, you are a hired assassin who is paid to do his job and only that. Otherwise I will cease the contract we have, I will have no use for you…

…and…I will crush that pitiful dream constantly spit out of your mouth."

!

Red eyes flashed angrily before returning back to normal. Cents smiled rather kindly then took a deep bow, his arm folding over his chest, the other behind his back. "I understand, Zero Cent, The Perfect Soldier. After all, what more do I have to do. No matter how much you try to get rid of it, you will always be miserable."

Cents had nothing else to say, his smile only on to keep himself from attacking Morotisan in the room right now. He left, leaving Garder and Vorono alone.

And thus, the new and horrific life of Elrya Alya would begin.

* * *

><p><strong>6 years later<strong>

In six years total, Garder might have visited Elrya Alya only a dozen times and out of all of them, it was only when the girl was asleep. It had not taken long for them to understand the issue with the girl, out Alya was a construct of her own instincts and was remarkably more terrible than most Diclonius instinct. She more than often created strife, killing at least a five other members of the facility and had to be watched over constantly. Vorono who Garder had ordered to give special watch over the girl, connected better with him. He was the only person in the facility that could calm Alya down whenever she was in one of her raging mood swings.

But today, July 2nd, it was not about Elrya, but instead the only male Diclonius in the world. Six years had left Julius feeling incomplete and miserable, uncaring and pointless. A teenager now, his vivid hair sprawled over his face, leaving most of it obscured except his right eye which glared out at Garder as he stepped in. Like Elrya, Garder didn't visit Julius often. He actually didn't visit many of the Diclonius often at all, more in line of doing work in his office and letting the staff deal with it. Was it a year, two years, he wasn't sure when the last time he had seen Julius Javel.

"Julius."

The Diclonius perked his ears up. The man had been using that name for a while and he began to accept it. Might have been better than just being referred to as number, much less a number that wasn't even supposed to exist in the facility. Julius had known he was special, both by being a male and by having unique vectors, or rather lack of vectors if one had to be precise. He knew that he was unique for the facility and that Garder while not often seeing him, did keep a good eye on his actions and any data that was on about him.

"…" No answer, hardly need one. Today would be like any other day, experimentation, eat, sleep, maybe they'd wash him if he was lucky. Then repeat, day in and day out, his anger and frustration not gone but dwindled to the point of uncaring. If he could see himself in a mirror, next to Garder, he might have found it astounding that they both shared the same expression.

Sternness.

"We will begin the experimentation soon Julius Javel, be ready."

"…Garder, that is your name right? The Director of this facility. Enough is enough, I am tired of this game. Why am I forced…into this hell?" Julius said, his voice not breaking above a monotone whisper.

Garder thought for a moment then said. "Because you are a Diclonius, you must be studied for humanity."

"So I am just a puppet?" The male questioned. His red eyes began searching Garder's heartless ones, his mouth frowning a bit more but besides that he made no motion of trying to attack. The bars that held his hands together were specially designed to keep his vectors from working.

"You are what you think you are, Number Zero." Garder answered, turning around to leave. "You are what you do and you think, your actions describe you."

Julius narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Is that so? Then, if I pleaded for you to let me out, would you?"

"I would not." Garder stated matter of fact.

"…If I asked you to let me out, would you?"

Again, Garder declined. Usually he would have ceased the conversation here, but Julius' tone was far different than any other Diclonius. It was bitter yes, but it had a deep sense of intelligence and understanding that the other girls did not. He spoke as if having a discussion on philosophy, calm and collect. For the first time in many years, Julius finally began to understand who he was, what he was, how he was and most importantly, what he wished to become. Nobody had spoken to him like this before, not like this elderly man who did not try to ascertain some bullshit excuse for their reasoning.

"…If I told you to let me out, would you?"

"I would not."

This man was different, just like him. For the first time in years, in the strangest way possible, Javel felt, a little bit happier. The bitterness was still in him, even he would question himself if he didn't feel some sort of hatred for the man before him. He was trapped in this cage of ordeals, forced into experimentations against his own will and constantly tested for pain and data. But until now, all those days had been meaningless.

"I am what I think I am right? What does that make you then?" A curious question indeed. Garder did not answer immediately but paused to look Julius dead in the eye. The young teen did not blink, his red eyes starred with the same stern ferocity. This Diclonius was definitely different from his female kin. "I am the Director of this facility. I work here to promote the wellbeing of humanity even if I have to make difficult choices myself. I am a man of logic, where I must make my choices not based on how I feel but of what I know."

Julius nodded. For the first time, he felt happy for some reason. Not in a joyous sense of smiling but in a broader sense of the mind. The girls that he knew were chaotic, mad, unintelligent. Constantly crying about their hell but doing nothing about it. Throwing tantrums, declaring their eternal hate for the humans and the facility but never doing anything about it. None of them ever spoke about things, they never discussed things like logic or even emotion. They expressed emotion certainly, always in the terms of rage and tears. It had become disappointing, hearing the same thing from then in his cell for years. He remembered vividly how he had hated it when they had screamed, how he himself had screamed at them to be shut it because of how annoying their voices were.

And when he spoke to the staff members, rarely yes, but he did, he would never get any good answers from them, if any at all. But not him, not the man standing before him. This time it was different and for the strangest of reasons, Julius liked that. Because unlike those pitiful girls crying day in and day out, unlike those members of the staff who wandered on in their own little world. This old man was different from the others.

Because…for the first time. Julius realized that which he liked, something he never had before or after entering into the institution. It was this understanding that he now came to realize why he felt so bored and insecure.

He desired for a challenge.

He wanted to have a match to show case his own mentality against someone of equal or even better qualities. He liked a physical and a mental challenge, a way for him to express himself against a worthy opponent. Garder's answer was both clear and yet questionable, easy to understand but hard enough for him to clearly think about his next actions. He enjoyed this conversation even if his face remained impassive. Julius found the challenge of seeing what the next question and answer would be, nearly invigorating. Nobody else had ever spoken to him like this before, these answers, surely this old man was something unique.

"…If I demanded that you release me, would you?"

"I would not."

The same answer again and again but his joy for the challenge had not waned in the slightest. Because Garder had not turned away as if dismissing him, only answering in that calm voice of his. Javel couldn't help himself, this was what his heart had been missing for all these years. A challenge to himself, even a mental one had a great impact on his mind.

"…Then, I will just have to release myself." Julius at last answered nonchalantly. The elderly ex-General closed his eyes, apparently thinking deeply of his next answer. "I have the facility under tight lockdown these days. Do you think it would be that easy?"

"I do not, I don't even think I could escape if I tried. I know about you Garder, your name gets passed down a lot here. Truly you are a very remarkable man and soldier, aren't you?"

"I suppose so. I will be going now, Julius Javel, your experimentation will start soon." There were thousands of questions Julius wanted to ask but for now, he would have to wait. It had been a short but invigorating conversation for himself, a challenge for his mind against a worthy opponent.

Leaving, Julius was left to his usual business, attached to the wall, he saw the cannon stroll down in a slow descent, the click of the first iron ball being placed into the thick slot.

The alarm shocked everyone, a shrieking sound that could only mean one thing. A Diclonius had just escaped. Garder who had been in his office ordered the staff members to remain calm and remained where they were. It was a first but it was something that he planned for a while ago. The last thing he needed was chaos with people running around in fear and terror. "Everyone, keep steady and keep the rooms locked." His voice spoke from the loudspeaker, eyes trailing over to the security cameras videos plastered on one side of the wall. "Vorono, keep your men guarded at all exits out of the facility." That was the next important objection, making sure whoever escaped did not leave further. The first camera showed nothing, the second neither, nor the third or the fourth. The hallways were empty with exception of Vorono's men patrolling the area. All accept the third to last one, the camera pointed just above his office. He had to give the man credit, Julius didn't take things in simple strides. The door was not broken down, Julius entered the room as if he was just another person, even going as far as to close it behind him. There was no blood on him either, a physical impossibility if he had directly attacked anyone. Whatever had happened, Julius had escaped without causing any harm and traveled all the way here.

"This is your office eh? Your guard, the large man is very good. I had to go through the walls not to get detected." He passed his hands through the left side of Garder's office, making his point clear. The Director sighed softly, understanding his mistake. Julius' power was stronger and more unique than he had first thought. Blocking the exits wouldn't have been enough if the man could merely walk through walls.

"Why did you come here, if only to collect your revenge? With your abilities you could have easily escaped this facility."

Julius nodded once in answer. "Perhaps. Although maybe I couldn't, it would depend on the circumstances. I can't use my powers for long stretches of time, it creates vast pain for my body and mind. But I had no intentions of leaving this facility. I didn't come here to have revenge either." Different, far different from the normal girls that Garder knew. Garder did not worry or show fear, something Julius also liked when the Diclonius strolled passed him and reached up to one of the books situated on a shelf near the right of Garder's desk.

"You can read?"

"Aye, I was young when I was captured, but still old to know a few things. Even living out in the open, I would sometimes find used books in trash cans that I would read."

"Certainly you did not come in here just to read a book." Morotisan replied strictly, pushing his horned rimmed glasses up his nose. Julius placed the book away then turned back to the black haired man. "You've given me a new outlook on life Garder, something I've never had done before. You gave me a challenge, a very good one I might add in which I had to think clearly on. You are right, I am what I chose to be. My actions describe me, just as you had told me before. So I made my choice finally, I know exactly what I am now."

"What is that?"

"…I am human."

This time Garder was curious.

"Biologically I am a Diclonius, I can't change that. But I am still human in mind and soul. I am still a living, breathing human, born from human parents, with human emotions and human thoughts. I am what I choose to be, I am what my actions describe me. I am human." Then suddenly, the man bent down into a short bow, his long hair overlapping his face, keeping it obscured from view. Garder said nothing, standing there as he watched the man bow before him.

"Would you allow me to work for you, Garder F. Morotisan? I enjoyed the conversation we had, it allowed me to truly think about myself. This world was boring before then, the same thing again and again, nothing new but you were different. Would you allow me to work for you, not as a Diclonius, not as servant but just as human following your orders? A man such as you, praised as a great leader, I would be honored to follow you."

"…"

"…The answer is simple Garder, yes or no. I will say this though, I will not go back to chains again."

"…You are a very interesting man Julius. Your words are very…humane. But if you are to follow me, then you must do exactly that. You must follow me, follow my instructions, follow my orders even if you feel they may clash with your own ideals."

"I understand." Julius responded clearly.

Garder narrowed his eyes. This man was different from the others, certainly. Heading back to his speaker, Garder ordered Vorono to come, alone and when the man entered, he prepared himself for an attack by the 19 year old male Diclonius. "Vorono, please take Julius away and put him back in his cell."

"So you are refusing my offer?" Javel inquired deeply, getting ready to attack. He had meant what he said, he was not going back to being chained to the wall again. "You said that if I gave you a chance, you would follow my orders discreetly. This is an order I am giving you, head back to your cell with Vorono, do not create a problem." Realizing now what Garder meant, Julius relaxed his muscles, allowing Vorono to lead him back to his lonely cell in the basement. It was another challenge to him, a mental game between him and Garder. A way to test him almost and for the most part, Julius was rather proud in himself, believing he had passed with flying colors.

It would be the last day he would ever spend in his cell again.

* * *

><p>The next day Garder came in, opening the door to his cell and holding a large box that he set by Julius' feet.<p>

"They are clothes, wear them. I do not need a nude man working for me after all. Also, it would be good if you could find a way to cover your horns. I have instructed the facility members who work with you to keep quiet about you. Usually I'd like to keep your involvement in here a secret but I can only keep secrets so close. The ones that worked with you know that I have left you out, it would be good to hide your horns. Even though they know, I do not want to cause panic within my facility."

Julius had to agree on that. He had no qualm in showing his horns, let the men who tortured him see him for what he truly was. But at the same time, why create a problem? It did remind him however, of a certain little object that had been thrown into his room a long time ago. He hadn't touched it and the accumulation of dust and dirt and given it a worn out appearance. The wide brimmed brown hat however was good, dirty yes though nothing a quick rub wouldn't clean and it did its purpose, his horns were covered. In a few short minutes he had the outfit that Garder provided.

Stretching his arms and neck, he looked upon himself and his outfit. The short, fur coated vest was a nice touch he had to admit. But for him, he had more pressing questions to get answer. "Garder, why did you do this? Why did you allow me to work for you?"

"Because you asked. Though of course you'd want a better response than that." Garder muttered. "I suppose the truth is that you've interested me Julius Javel. I have never heard of a Diclonius referring to themselves as humans or shown such vast intelligence as yourself. Perhaps it is because you are a male Diclonius, the possibilities are endless. Be as it may though, I have allowed you to exit from your cell and work for me. Besides as a Diclonius, other than your unique abilities in comparison to other Diclonius, you have no interest to me as a test subject. You are only a Siplilet, incapable of reproducing so it may be better that you do work for me, you'd have a better reason for being here.

Just remember though, you are to follow my orders exactly."

"Of course sir." Julius uttered shortly, bowing respectfully. "Besides, you let me out, I more or less owe you at least some favor of gratitude." He gazed over at the bookshelf. "Would you mind if I collected a few of those books to read?"

"If it interests you, Julius."

"That reminds me Garder, why do you call me that? I appreciate it much more than being called; Number Zero, but it such a unique name. You even went as far as give me a last name as well."

"I suppose it is only wise to tell you this. A few years ago I met your mother, her name was Serette Javel. She had been a prostitute and during that time had given birth to you. Apparently she was unable to take care of you and left you in the hands of so called friends. Clearly that did not go as well as she had hoped. You were apparently named after your father. That is all I know however, I never kept in touch with the woman. How you take this message is up to you, it is obviously not something to be proud of I guess but…"

Julius shook his head. "It is fine; regardless of who my mother or father was I am still myself."

Garder nodded discreetly folding his arms in the process and leaning against the wall of his office as Julius picked up three specific books from Garder's shelf. He wondered silently how wise it was to release Julius from his restraints. True he had a more profound respect for the male Diclonius than he did for his female kin but he was still a Diclonius, no matter how much Julius might want to deny it. Was it a way of trying to make it up for Veronica, giving a Diclonius a chance that Veronica never had?

He also wondered how the people in the facility would take it, those who knew about him. Even if he covered his face, his voice would still be recognizable by the staff who worked with him. There was no getting past it, it was the reason he gave the orders for those who been part of Julius' testing to remain quiet about such stuff. He proclaimed it as a test for himself and it had to be admitted, the facility members might have felt a lot more comfortable around Julius than his female counterparts. Unlike the girls whose vectors were invisible to the eyes, if Julius ever tried to attack anyone, they could see it coming as he had to physically attack with his own body.

Plus, Garder didn't plan on having Julius being too much of a bother for the other faculty members anyway. Let him just be another person who was assigned to his facility. Let questions be unanswered and let the days go on as they normally would. There was no need to create problems and even Julius himself knew that. Just another reason he was so much more unique than the other Diclonius.

"It feels good to get out again, away from that cell and not have to return."

"That reminds me." Garder added once Julius was done speaking. "How exactly did you escape?"

"Easy. I merely broke free of my captors and went off. I can transfer through the walls outside of my cell after all."

Garder understood but questioned further. "Why did you not do that before? What stopped you?"

"…Myself and the lack of reason I guess. I never realized until now but I enjoy challenges. I enjoy challenging my body and my mind and hoping to surpass certain goals. Before you came, my life was a bore, uninteresting, uncaring, uneventful. I didn't care about anything but you gave me that reason. For that I thank you, the challenge I got from you is a feeling of joy I have not had in a long time."

"Challenge? What challenge?" Garder responded, legitimately curious.

"You told me that I myself was responsible for how the world looked at me. I always viewed myself as inferior, just a mindless Diclonius that was only slightly different from the others. You taught me differently, a challenge to my original thoughts and it made me rethink my future. Challenge may be the wrong term to use but for me that's what it was, a great one at that. You are a very interesting man, you know that Garder F. Morotisan. I am proud to have met you."

The old man nodded with a manner of calm disposition. Julius spoke freely yet intelligently, his words holding a deep insight about the man. Matter of fact, considering the line of work he was in, the things he had to do, it might not be a bad idea to enlist Julius into Cents members of assassins. That way he could at least have an eye on Twisted Relic.

"Javel, I have something I need you to do. We're going to meet a few people."

"Of course, whatever you want."

* * *

><p>"Oh?" Cents raised his eyebrow looking at Julius with a dark glint in his eye. "A male Diclonius, the world is just filled with quaint wonders isn't it? So tell me, what point do you have a bringing him to me?"<p>

"You are Vladimir Cents correct?" Julius asked.

"Aye, that's what they call me."

Julius folded his arms, his head bowing slightly so that the shadow from his hat hid most of his face including his eyes. "A lot of people thought you were dead, after the war. Clearly that isn't true anymore. I also heard that you have a thing for desires and crush pitiful dreams. My name is Julius Javel, former Number Zero of this research institution. Garder thought it might be wise if I joined your so called group of assassins."

"Did he now?" Vlad mumbled happily, glancing over at Garder who did not make eye contact. "Well there are currently three members, myself, Vorono and Garder though I'm not sure how much the latter likes to think himself as one. I see no reason why not, but of course, you must have a desire, one above all others that you will focus on for the rest of your life."

Turning his head to Garder, the man didn't speak and so Julius gave his answer. "I do, I desire to have a challenge, a great one that can force my body and mind past the breaking point. I desire to face challenges, from opponents equal or even greater than myself so that I can learn from them." Cents listened intently, his hands rubbing together as if scheming as his smile growing wider.

"How quaint, that is a very unique desire you have, Second Cent, Julius Javel, The Zero Point."

Cents got up, stretching his shoulders and moving his neck so that it made loud cracks. "The members continue to grow; you will be given your orders whenever they are needed. Well then I am getting rather hungry, let's hope our next meeting is just as interesting as this one. Oh Garder, how goes the little pregnant…"

"Cents!" Garder articulated loudly, quieting the man. "Oh, my bad that's right. Please forgive me Morotisan." A false apology clearly but none that Garder cared about. The man quickly turned, his onyx coat fluttering behind him in a quick swish and then strolled out along with Vorono, more or less to keep Cents from doing anything rash. But his words had already had their mark and now Julius was curious in what he meant.

"What did he mean, if I may ask?"

No point in trying to ignore it. It may actually be better that Julius knew, considering how important she was. "A few years ago a Diclonius named Elrya Alya was admitted into this facility. She has a very complex case of hatred against humanity, far more than usual. She created an inner voice, a perfect replica of a secondary personality. The girl in question is also a Queen, capable of reproducing though the paperwork has filed her as a Sipilet. I have told Cents to keep his mouth shut on these things. When you are around him, make sure he doesn't blather on unnecessarily."

Javel bowed once. "Of course sir."

***RERERERERER!***

Suddenly without warning the alarm systems went off, blaring loudly as Julius turned to the security videos in the room and Garder went to his speaker to seek the problem out. "This is Director Garder F. Morotisan, report the problem? Has another Diclonius managed to escape?" As Garder waited, Julius watched closely, his eyes traveling to each screen and though men ran through, no sign of a horned girl could be seen. "I don't believe the issue is because of a Diclonius sir. Besides I can't sense all the girls down in the basement from here as well as any in the experimentation chamber. There is also nothing on the security panels so if one did escape we'd have seen it and I definitely would've felt it."

Garder continued to wait for an answer, wondering what was going on.

"Javel, turn to the outside security cameras." The Director ordered. Obliging, Julius switched to the outside view where the chaos was far more apparent. Multiple bodies lay on the ground; slash marks across their torso and neck indicating they had been attacked by a sharp object, larger than a knife, a sword perhaps. He continued to look through the videos, going to one where oddly enough soldiers were shooting randomly at the air. Of course he had to check it out, and watched carefully, looking for signs of something unique within the video. Where the men shot, he tried to find something, a flying object but to no avail. All the men were shooting at, was air. The perpetrator however made herself known shortly after.

With a cold slice across their neck, Orlana, her face rapt with fury, dropped the poor men to the ground as if they were puppets with their strings cut. There she went to front door, a long thin sword held tightly in her hand.


	28. Signify The Torrential Flare

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 28: Signify The Torrential Flare**

At 19 years old, Orlana Zeruda had left the home of her mother and taken her sister with her to live in a remote little village in Turkey, where she procured a small job to live with. Her mother both loved and disliked this, proud of her oldest daughter making way for her own self and taking care of Carentorzulan but the dreaded fact that her own little children were leaving her. Carentorzulan had always had a very close connection with her older sister and it was actually her that insisted that she come with Orlana. After speaking with her sister and her mother about it, Orlana was ultimately able to persuade the woman that Carentorzulan would be in good hands and that they would visit her as often as they could.

It was in this small village, a quiet town with a population of only 200 people total that Orlana met a young man, 24 of age who owned a large farm near the edge of the village. He was a relatively simple fellow, intelligent in his own right and remarkably pleasant. Of course what really caused Orlana to become smitten with him was the fact that much like her, he had a deep respect for illusionary magic.

"I went to a show when I was a child; it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my days." He went on, explaining the many tricks she herself had seen and even preformed yet feeling admiration in knowing another person who shared that same love as herself. Illusions were a special part of life that many people either did not understand and/or did not appreciate as much as she did. This young man, a farmer and yet and intellectual with the same loves as Orlana also had a close connection with her younger sister as well. Perhaps due to him sharing similar likes as her sister, Caren found herself growing attached to him far sooner than either of them had expected.

For a year they lived together in the tiny yet happy parish, Orlana finding romantic insight with her friend that would soon turn to complete passion. They embraced each other on one specific night, kissing each other in his room before they made love in the act of complete intimacy. She would never bear any child for him though, but it was there that she knew what she wanted most of all. She was only happier when it was he that expressed his wish to marry her. Unfortunately for her she would never be granted that specific wish, nor would her surname ever change to match his own. She had been planning on going to Japan with her sister, visit old places that they enjoyed when they were children and when they returned, they would official become a couple.

He even had rings ready. When Orlana and Carentorzulan was in Japan, he would tell the people of his fiancé and how much he loved her. Never again would he see her, the rings would go to another unfamiliar woman and the very thought of that pretty Turkish woman and her strange headed but oh so adorable and respectable little sister would vanish from memories.

* * *

><p>Thankfully age had given Caren much more maturity than in the past as she no longer crept out of side out of curiosity. Even with her sister allowing her to roam around freely, she kept close by, intent on being with Orlana the entire time. "I heard you were going to marry him, right?" She asked questioningly, her hands folded in front of her.<p>

"Yes Carentorzulan, once we get back we'll be truly together."

"That's great! Oh, can you show me that trick again." Laughing, Orlana took out the silver pocket watch, holding it closely to Caren's face who giggled childishly. Whatever the woman did couldn't be ascertained by the crowd as to them, the little girl with horns was only laughing at the watch itself. Even if one were to look at the watch directly, nothing particularly amazing would've been found, only a pocket watch. There was not even a picture to gaze upon which for most people, the indication of laughter from the child was obscured. Despite the prospects of possible insanity, Caren laughed as her sister cast a small illusionary image onto her, almost euphoric that would give her little sister merely the pleasures of the item. It might have been surprising that the elder Zeruda sister did not ever take up magic acting or even sword fighting as a primary employment. With her skills and expertise, she would have been great in any field be it in entertainment or actual combat.

The day should have gone without a hitch, two sisters joyfully going through another experience like they had many times before in Japan. Caren had been waiting for the right moment to tell her sister something but had never found the right opportunity or confidence in confiding it to her. Recently she had begun to produce strange hands from her body; ghostly and apparently unseen by others because she remembered vividly waving them in front of one woman's face frantically. It both amazed and scared her, perfectly knowing that such a thing was not normal for any child. As her sister was always there for her, she wished to talk about it but was afraid that it would be so strange that even Orlana would shun her. She should have known that her older sister would never have done it but still she kept waiting, afraid and yet desperate to ask her.

That time would never come.

It had been a very brisk evening, the clouds overlapping the sky as the sun sat down but still high enough to lead the bright end of days. It was slightly windy, not uncomfortably so but enough for the people of Japan to wear long sleeves or light jackets. It was here on that final evening that Orlana and Caren took their last day together at a dock to watch the sea. With the waves overlapping the wooden pier, Caren finally found the courage to speak up.

"O-Orlana? I have something I want to talk to you about but it's…kind of…" She wasn't how to explain it. Politely Orlana tilted her head to her sister, rubbing the young girl's head which the young Diclonius giggled at. "You can tell me anything you want Carentorzulan. What is it?'

There were no people around, all had left the docks a while ago leaving only the woman and girl to stand on the wooden dock and stare out at the calm sea. Now or never, Caren first looked around assuming like all the others that her sister wouldn't be able to see them either. If she couldn't prove it somehow, telling her sister she had multiple invisible hands would only make her sound insane. Nothing much but a few used cans sprawled out on the edges but good enough for her. Breathing in and out three times, she felt released her hand, letting it flow out and circle around her once before gazing at Orlana who patiently waited for her sister to finish. Of course, she couldn't see them, so she reached over to the can, ready to grip and only hoping her sister didn't freak out.

***BLAM!***

"Carentorzulan!"

The scream from her older sister reached her after the pain in her left shoulder spread throughout her body and into her mind. The force of the shot threw the poor Diclonius off of her feet, her hand vanishing as her mind couldn't withstand the immense pain coursing through her young body. The only thing she could ascertain at that point was that she had been shot but by the time she could even turn her head to look behind her she was already flat on her face.

Horrified, Orlana rushed over to her sister only to be pulled back two heavily armed men wearing black masks as two others went for Caren who sobbed uncontrollably, clutching her wounded body. "What the hell are you doing! What the hell are you doing with my sister!" Insane, illogical, crazy. They were at the sea, on a dock and her sister wanted to tell her something important. Who the hell were these people? Why did they shoot Carentorzulan and why were they apprehending her.

"Do not fight back; we are taking this Diclonius into custody."

Diclonius? What kind of stupid word was that and what did it have to do with shooting her sister? The woman struggled, her teeth grinding harshly together, attempting to break free.

"Orlana! Orlana, help me! It hurts!" Crying, in pain Caren was dragged off by the men to a large black van where she was injected with something that made her lose consciousness. "YOU BASTARDS!" Infuriated to the point of madness, the woman shrieked at the top of her lungs, tears flowed down her face as the door was shut tight. There she could see the words H.E.R.D, an acronym of some sort and with closer inspection the meaning underneath. "Human Evolution and Research Development."

Just where were they taking her sister?

"GET OFF OF ME! CARENTORZULAN!" But her cries fell on deaf ears; the man produced a short syringe and pushed it into the woman's neck. Gasping from the pressure, the world went fuzzy, her vision blurred as the men released her and left. Still on her feet though incredibly unfocused she attempted to follow them, staggering all over the place. Crying for her sister in a feeble voice, searching for a reason why this had happened. Her steps became more unbalanced; the world seemed to tilt before Orlana collapsed.

"..C…Caren…." Her last words escaped only as a whisper, the last thing she saw was her own hand reaching out as if she thought she could grab the car moving away like a small toy. But most of all, complete uncertainty had filled her entire being, leaving her thoughtlessly in wonder. Only a few minutes ago, she had been standing at the dock, her sister safely with her, but now that was like a trifling dream. It had happened so fast, so sudden, without warning that for a moment it seemed as if this was reality since the beginning and the time with her sister was just some stupid dream.

…And this was the worst part. Unanswered, her pleas had been unanswered; nobody spoke a word to her. Nobody explained that those men had been watching her for a while and that her daughter was a Diclonius capable of being quite dangerous. Nobody explained anything to her, an outcast to the happenings of the world. This was the worst pain in the world.

* * *

><p>She awoke some time later, the only sound being the waves of the ocean. She could establish even before her eyes open that it was night, the moon high in the starry black sky casting its gleam upon her fallen body. "Carentorzulan?" Her voice broke out in a desperately whisper, looking around her surroundings, yet knowing she would find nobody. Again, it wasn't just the pain of losing her closest companion and sister that left a bitter taste in Orlana's mouth; it was being shunned from the reality of it. She hated it, like someone in the middle of a scene being kept out and not being told while the others laughed at her.<p>

"CARENTORZULAN!" She screamed it, the name, hoping from the bottom of her torn heart that her sister would pop up in front of her. Even though she knew it wasn't true, she even half imagined everyone coming out with her sister and explaining everything as a good televised joke. But cruelty was never so simple, her sister was gone, taken away for reasons she did not know. This time the woman who had stood on her feet fell again, to the knees her body buckled as she collapsed on all four, the pavement splotched with her falling tears. What kind of woman was she, not to protect her own sister? Hearing it even now, the cries of Carentorzulan and she couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Thus she screamed, loud, horrifically, a shrill sound that even she didn't know she could emit. High pitched, crazy it sounded less like a woman in sorrow and more like one being burned at the stake. She screamed even louder, the echo vibrating relentlessly and continued to scream at even higher pitched before her voice became sore. "Caren…Caren….Carentor…Ahhh. Ahhhh…" How many emotions of regret could fill someone's heart? She felt every negative emotion imaginable. Sadness, pain, regret, shame, horror, all of it streaming through body and mind and threatening to crush her.

"Haa…shahahaha….siahahasiaha…." The sound of her broke gasps turned vividly strained as a new emotion unaware to her placed in her soul. For the first time, she felt innate yearning to murder. They took her sister away, no warning, not point, merely took her away like some sick joke and she sick of being left out of the ordeal. The only thing as good as her skills with a sword and illusions as her own memory and she could vividly remember the image on the van.

Human Evolution and Research Development.

She hardly cared what it was or what point it had only that if she could find such a place, she'd ultimately find her sister. She chewed the inside of her cheeks, drawing blood and spitting it out, her frenzy only calmed by her own willful volition. The thought that murder would lead to a terrible consequence never once occurred to her, because she had the very right to do this. Those bastards took Carentorzulan away as if she was some wild animal to be put in a cage, even now she could hear her screams, always ready to haunt her. If it was the last thing she did, she'd kill them all and rescue her baby sister, take her away and make sure those monsters understood their place.

She never thought she'd ever use the long rapier for anything more than educational fencing practice. It was custom made, thin which lacked cutting potential, but still hard enough so that it didn't bend, making it an excellent stabbing weapon. Her hand clutched the silver stopwatch that hung around her neck, gripping it then realizing that she could perhaps even use the illusions to her advantage. No idea what she would be facing, she mentally prepared herself for the worst case scenarios.

Prepared to murder, all for the sake of her sister, Orlana went off. In her frustration she looked throughout the night, gazing at buildings, searching for any indication of the place she was trying to find. Though it pained her, she realized that she would need to rest before she could truly take part in her retribution. Thus on the next day, with her mind sharp she took things to a much more intelligent form. Searching for a place she knew nothing about was like find a specific grain of sand on the beach; she'd waste too much time. Asking around, she found that a place with a similar title was located in Tokyo, Japan. If that was indeed the place that had her sister, she would make them all pay.

The building was large though by no means overwhelming and could easily be overlooked. Even in her state of fury, she kept a calm mind, making sure she didn't do anything too rash. She was definitely willing to kill, that thought had not once left her mind but she also didn't want to do something she'd regret. If this was the wrong place and she created a problem, she might never find her sister again and that truly would be her fault. The first thing she did was double and triple check the place, suspicious at its security but also looking for a specific sign that might indicate what she wanted. Sure enough, the words "Human Evolution Research Development" was plastered up on a sign. High up so that anyone in the city could read it.

It was time to check things out. The first thing she did was check out the entire place, quickly ascertaining that the only possible way in was through the front gate. So be it, she'd get in and she'd figure out this mess one way or the other. Sure enough was she approached she was stopped by two guards, their faces morbidly serious as they ordered her to turn back.

"Why? What's so important about this place that you'd need all this security? What exactly are you doing here?"

"That is none of your business, remove yourself from the vicinity." She glowered at their response before replying back. "I think it is my business, especially when you bastards took my sister away from me. Tell me, do you always kidnapped girls with horns for your own sick amusement."

One of them visibly gasped, then tried to collect himself. "You should forget all about that, go home and never return here."

Perfect! She had waited for such a response because it was irrefutable proof that they knew exactly what was going on. "I am going through, move out of the way." Voice icy cold, she gripped the end of her rapier, watching as the two guards reached to their waists. Underestimating her was their next mistake, her hand flashed with speed that those inexperienced could never comprehend. With the tip pointed she jabbed it into the jugular of the first man, sprouting a fountain of red before he fell. The next one, ignorant of his defenselessness, found the cold steel tip pierce into his own heart.

"You deserved nothing less…" It was the first time she had killed; it was a strange sensation to say the least. Nothing left to say, there would be no point in talking to fools who could not even explain themselves. Blood lusted, her body arched as she swarmed into the compound. Clutching the stopwatch, the illusionary powder that she possessed was released, an invisible cloud that she was immune to due to taking special antidotes for them. In most cases she would only have released a small amount to please her sister. This was no longer fun, this was pure murder.

The men that came out were left stunned as the world around them seemed to twist and turn into haze. Then their bodies crumbled, some shot wildly at places where they thought she was only to realize to late that the illusions they were shooting would never die. At one point she picked up a small dagger, slashing it across throats and chests while continuing her pursuit to the inside. A woman who specialized in bladed weapons and illusions, these poor fools didn't stand a chance against her. But as she ran towards the door, her path was blocked by a young man, his red eyes shining through the shadows of his wide brimmed brown hat.

"What's going on…?" He silently questioned, keeping his guard up. It had become quite apparent that the men had been under some sort of mental pressure and as he came out, he could understand why. The world around him was oddly distorted and the woman that he could see was definitely not physically clear. Concentration to its top point, a single woman who could do this much collateral damage was definitely not one to be underestimated and he though he saw her, he added the assumption that he was also not seeing her.

The first priority was to protect his head and heart. The only thing he could do was wait, refusing to move from his spot until she made her move, it was his only choice. Orlana, sick of the people getting in her way, charged, aiming for the opening that would best reach his heart. The tip of her rapier passed through the skin, missing his vitals unfortunately before pulling it out. As he thought, he hadn't seen the attack coming or even leave but he could feel it, the small line of blood running down his chest. However he was now ready for her next strike and visible moved his arms down to let a closer strike to his heart be apparent.

A skilled woman she was, it was kind of invigorating that sensation of a challenge he sought all the time. It kept his bloody flowing, his muscles tensed as he readied for the strike. He had to be quick on this one, her speed with a blade of any sort clearly unmatched by even the best experts. The time the tip hit his bare skin, to the time it would reach his heart would be less than a second, not even a time to blink. He couldn't lose one focus, a single touch and his mind would have to go into overdrive.

Then he felt it, like a breeze, a cold spot on his chest, something forcing its way through and he instantly used his ability. Shocked, Orlana found her blade moving through the man's body as if it was some sort of ghost, before she barely saw the flash of Julius' hand rush towards her face. Swerving, half of her world went dark as his fingers scrapped against her face, slashing out one of her eyes and leaving it a smear of blood to run down the side of her face. Knowing that he had missed her, Julius could not leave the time for her to get her distance back, not after he finally knew exactly where she saw. Grabbing where he knew her arm was, he twisted it behind her as he stepped to her back then pushed her down with one foot as he grabbed the other arm, releasing her weapons and pinning her.

"Guh! Gah! Y-You bastard!" Curses fell on deaf ears though as she knew that she had now lost her chance. They'd probably shoot her right now, and the thought sent the same warm tears sprawling down her face. She was supposed to protect her sister and she failed at that. Julius kept his grip tightly on her, ready to deliver the killing blow at any time but waiting for Garder's orders as he emerged. He like Julius could tell some sort of illusion had been cast on the area because when he looked over, to him, Julius was pinning nobody on the ground the woman was struggling some meters away against an unseen force. Did such high powered illusions really exist? No wonder she did so well against his security forces. But for a man who had long since ignored signs in battle, illusions were no threat to him.

"Julius, keep her steady until this…illusion…has passed. Vorono, find and help any possible injured personnel." If they were going to get things done, they would get it under his watch. It was a long lasting one too, ten minutes before things began to become normal and he could finally see the woman truly pinned under the male Diclonius' grip.

"This was quite a surprise, I must give you praise for your abilities woman. However the point remains to this fact, you came here with murderous intentions and the people outside of this place should not know of its true nature. Why did you come here?"

"Why? How dare you say that old man! You bastards know exactly why I'm here! You took my sister away from me!"

Garder raised his head then said in a low voice. "Nobody has been brought in today, though I can hazard a guess of what may have happened. This place is indeed as it says, a human research and development location. But it is also a place where horned girls are taken, girls known as Diclonius. Your sister so you call her, has most likely been taken by another one of the facilities."

"…Tsu, and now that your saying this, I guess you're going to kill me too, right?" She retorted angrily.

"Incorrect, if I wanted you dead I'd have done that without explaining any of this. The skills you possess are an admirable trait, one that could be used very well in the skills of a trained assassin. I offer you this choice woman, work for me and live, or refuse and I will shoot you on the spot. Let me tell you though, that with or without sight I am more than a capable man. Your illusions are definitely a formidable weapon, but they are useless to me.

She spat on the ground, though unsure just how she had got herself into such a situation. "Your choice is yours woman, make it now."

"…F-Fine then…" She had to say it because being alive at least meant she had more time to save Carentorzulan. Garder nodded his head at Julius who released his grip though not before taking the two blades away from her as well as the watch whom guarded indicated was the source of her illusionary powers. Defenseless now, she could only glare with revulsion as Vorono lead her inside, she followed him from behind, understanding that it would be futile to run away. Now that she inside the construct, she gazed around at the pristine white walls before a voice broke her concentration.

"I will not ask you to forgive us foolish men, we are all terrible. But please listen to this, some of us do not take pride in what we do. That elderly man out there, went through a total hell during the war and its left a far different person from before. You see, he had a daughter, a beautiful young woman with horns supposedly who was going to be married. But things didn't go as well, terrible things happened and I hope you'll be able to listen.

…I am so sorry…

…so…so sorry…at how powerless we truly are."

If this was a fib, then the man was clearly good at hiding his true intentions. Every word he said seemed to be dripping with true regret and it was just point in which Orlana didn't lower her guard. He brought to her a large but fairly empty room with a single bench at the far end, clearly where she was to be seated. "You'll have to forgive the uncomfortable room, I truly mean it. You'll be staying here for a few hours right now; we're waiting for…someone. We'll provide you a futon and pillow to sleep on as well as some food and water."

She wasn't sure why he hesitated on the word "someone" but that hardly mattered right now. "I guess I'm just a hostage now, great…"

"…I guess so, I'll be back, the door will be locked so it's pointless to try and escape."

That man who attacked me outside, the one in the brown hat, what was he?"

Vorono shook his head sadly. "That was Second Cent, Julius Javel. He's the only male Diclonius that we know of and his abilities are a bit different than his female counterparts." That had reminded her, the use of that same word again and again that even now left her confused.

"I keep hearing that word, Diclonius. What exactly do you mean?"

Vorono tilted his head to the side as if trying to explain the answer in the best way possible though even if he didn't, she'd figure it out soon enough. "There are people with abnormal bone mutations, horns if you will that exist among us. We at first never thought much of it, you know, bone mutations is what we thought it was. But there's a difference between them and us humans, something very different that we never knew of until later. It's hard to explain but, these girls have things called vectors, long and invisible hands capable of different abilities."

If he didn't sound so serious, Orlana would have laughed at such thought. Was this what Carentorzulan wanted to show her? A strange ability that only she could use and that she wanted her sister's truthful answer from it? She had nothing left to say, even though she had many questions left wanting to answer. At the moment her heart stung too much and her anger was too high for her to properly think anymore though she was, if somewhat grudgingly, glad that the guard had answered her respectfully. She had to wonder for a moment if the guard too was here against his own will. Girikuson waited for a few seconds in case the woman had any other questions to ask before leaving. He returned later with the futon and pillow he mentioned before as well as some food.

* * *

><p>She didn't eat nor did she lay down, ready to show her conviction by sitting right on the bench until they came back. It was a sign of her own determination even after a staggering seven hours passed by, her cold eyes glaring at the door in front of her. Then at last when even her patience was prone to recede, the doors finally opened up to reveal the group to arrive. The guard came in first before standing at the side of the wall. Julius, the male Diclonius she fought was the next person to come in and taking his place on the opposite wall of Vorono. Third was Garder the tail end of his brown coat fluttering quickly in the air from his speedy pace before the last person came in.<p>

Vladimir raised an eyebrow, his face both bemused and surprised before casually replying to the elderly director. "Taking woman now are we Zero Cent? That's supposed to be my job, you're trying to make me look bad aren't you?" He laughed though nobody else found it amusing before the man stepped forward, his massive height casting a shadow over the young woman's face. She swallowed hard, unable to believe that a human would think of wearing such a get up and even now she wasn't sure if those rods were really sticking into his back and neck.

"Good evening, my fine little peach. Do you know who I am?"

"No."

"Hahahaha! What a shame, it seems I need to express my desires more often. My name dear woman, is Vladimir Cents." The name, Turkey hadn't faced Cents campaign during the war so she wasn't aware of it as much as everyone else was. Yet she did know her history and her lips frowned. "They said you were dead." She answered back darkly.

Cents chuckled. "Aye, people say a lot of things, stupid things really but whatever. Morotisan here tells me that you have some particularly fine skills at hand. Something about sword fighting and illusions. I'd like to see them."

Something was tossed by her feet, the silver stop watch and her thin rapier that she carefully picked up. Nothing about them that she could notice had changed. Garder stood by the door, his eyes closed and she knew that trying to do anything funny would not work. But if they wanted to see her powers again, so be it. She held her watched, clicked it open and let the illusionary particles waft through the small room. Having already seen it's abilities first hand, Vorono, Garder and Julius were silent. Only Vladimir expressed himself, his eyes widening with glee.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! What an interesting thing we have here, how quaint! Where exactly are you anyways?" He asked, before Orlana spoke from behind him. "Over here." Amused, Cents laughed deeply inside his throat. "That is a very quaint ability you have there, how long does it last?"

"It depends…" She replied sternly. The answer was apparently good enough before he didn't ask anymore. The world returned normally after about two minutes. She had purposely used little as using too much in such a small room would have caused the illusion to last an unnecessarily long time. She could tell what the next question would be though she wasn't sure how she was supposed to properly test her sword skills in the room. Thus her shock came when Cents brought out one of the thin long rods, its side a serrated edge. Preparing herself for an assault, instead Cents beckoned her to attack him instead.

Well, at least she now had a proper reason to attack someone. Her body lunged forward, the tip of her blade going straight to the man's heart. With brilliant reflexes of his own his rod spun, clashed against the sword and parried it away. She didn't let the move falter her judgment as her arm delicately held the handle of her blade, she moved to the side and struck again, this time to the man's opened right side. Again Cents, with his face smirking broadly parried the attack before the woman's foot spun around and kicked the black weapon out of Cent's hand.

"Oh?" Without defenses, she struck again, aiming for his heart that knowing her intended target, moved to the left, letting the thin blade instead pierce his torso away from his beating heart. As the blade she was using was not meant for slashing, she could do nothing else but pull the blade out and keep her guard ready but for Cents, he was pleased enough. He calmly placed his hand on the small wound, delicately licking the blood off then saying in a low tone.

"Very impressive woman, very impressive indeed. What is your name?"

"…Orlana Zeruda."

"How quaint, well then Orlana, here's what I have to offer you. I am the leader of a group of specialized assassins whose job is to kill for money. Under orders you are to do your duty for a specific amount of cash. There is only one thing I require from you, just as I have required it from everyone else. You must have a desire, one above all others that you will not stop until you have grasped it. Even if the world falls around you, you will always hold on to that desire, seek it, and earn it, until the very end of your life. Do you have a desire, one above all others?"

What kind of answer did she need to give, she knew her answer already but there was one thing she wanted to know. "If I join you, will I get what I desire? Will earning money really help my cause?"

"Hahahaha! Do not take desires so lightly nor that of money. Whatever you desire, can often be earned with incredible hard work and a little cold cash."

Was it possible to get Carentorzulan out with money? She couldn't risk going off and trying to save her on her own like she did now. But she would in the end save her, deep down even in this new hellish word she was now taking place in, one where she would murder again and again, she would save her. She would learn more about Diclonius, more about her sister and not once would she lose that unwavering faith that her sister would be saved.

"I will." Her final answer absolute.

"Hahahaha! Perfect, another member I have attained. Welcome…Third Cent, Orlana Zeruda, The Clock Stopper!" Cents exclaimed with joyful abandon before passing his silver etched coin to the young woman who with its glint in her eye, she knew exactly where she would place it.


	29. Affection Forever Lost In Antiquity

_**Pinpoint Zero**_

**Chapter 29: Affection Forever Lost In Antiquity**

Roy held his suitcase casually at his side, the brisk air of the May season casting it's beautiful self upon him. He shrugged his shoulders, rotating them in their sockets to get the cramps of staying on the plane for the whole time. It was something he was use to and had done many times in his life, but unless it was first class sitting down in an enclosed place was uncomfortable even if items such as television and music were given. Luckily he managed to get a few hours of sleep on the ride, there being little to nothing else to do especially if anything from the entertainment left him bored. He could see an old man coming his way, quite small with wrinkles that did not hide the kindness from his face. Walking over to him, Roy knew he was looking for him because he suddenly called his name. They had never met before but considering his strange looks the man most likely assumed he was Roy and instantly called out. No kidding really, his blue hair stood out like a sore thumb.

The Australian fiddled around, knowing more than enough Japanese to get by but not exactly adept in the culture, he was left doing an embarrassing routine that the old man, Hideki Ito, laughed about. Roy worked as an associate for his father's business in which he had to do a lot of traveling for his clients. Therefore, he was well adept in many languages, something he had become quite proud of. Though from the smallest continent in the world, the blue haired man surprisingly did not have that specific accent of the region, thus many people didn't even know where he was from until he either told them or accidentally used some of the dialect. It was mostly due to the fact that his bloodline consisted of multiple nationalities and the part that after traveling so much he most likely start mixing accents up to the point where it was almost impossible to tell what was what.

"Your father has told me a lot about you, to get so much done at such a young age." Hideki complimented him, leaving the young man to blush embarrassingly. "You're too kind, I've always tried to help my father in his business and I plan on taking over the company once I'm old enough. It's funny though, I wasn't exactly one of those nice kids who did everything their parents said. You know what I mean, parties, drinks…"

"Women…" Ito continued. Roy stifled a laugh; old age hadn't stopped this man's sense of humor.

"I can't go that far, but I was a bit of a delinquent I guess." They continued talking, mostly of the unimportant things like the meaning of life and the things that was good about it. He would be staying at the man's home where he would not only do business with him and his company but also complete his other works while there. There was no telling how long he was going to stay, a week at best though a bit more if time took its toll on them. Besides getting business completed with Hideki Ito, he also wanted to spend some matter of time visiting the man places of Japan. The shrines of Kamakura had sounded relatively interesting and he put it on his to go list after everything here was finished.

Arriving at their home, Roy unpacked his suit case and was given a petite but homely room with a nice window to overlook the town. He placed his laptop on the desk at the end of the room and went to the closest, unsurprised to see the futon inside. For a man who used beds, futons weren't his thing but by no means did he deject them in any sort of way. There was no point in taking it out now as he wanted to keep the place as clean as possible and not have unnecessary items out. The walls were decorated in the classical Japanese settings, the lines flowing in and out without specific purpose or shape yet always leading to a stunning array of artistic craftsmanship. The only thing he brought with him were clothes and certain files he needed to bring, the rest of the material was on his computer, not risking taking such important documents with him until he absolutely needed them.

"Ito-san, I'd like to go to the market and pick up a few things."

The old man gave a curt nod, leaving Roy to his business.

***BASH!***

* * *

><p>Silently cursing, Roy stepped back; holding onto the few bags that didn't fall from his grasp then hurrying over to the woman he had accidentally ran into. She was a small lady, very young perhaps no older than twenty years of age with shoulder length brown hair. Her figure was shapely, attractive if anything but nothing overbearing or superb. At most she was pretty, at worst average, the kind of girl that would only be glanced at for a few seconds than completely forgotten shortly afterwards. Apologizing for her own actions, ones clearly not her fault, Roy calmly placed his bags on the ground and helped her up, owing his own forgiveness. "I wasn't paying attention, it's my fault."<p>

She calmly took her bags, raising her eyebrows as she gazed at his strange colored hair. She offered what was either truthfulness or perhaps hiding just a bit of distaste at his hair. "I must say, your hair truly matches the summer season here." Brushing his fingers through his locks, he chuckled and answered back. "It might surprise you but this is my real hair color, it's always been blue." She looked momentarily surprised though her expression didn't change, indicating that she had truly meant what she had said before. Feeling the need to introduce himself out of respect. "My name is Roy Synth or…Synth Roy if it helps, pleasure to meet you." He gave a half comical attempt at shaking hands and a bow, quite clearly unsure of which he was supposed to do. It only made the woman giggle, putting her finger to her lips.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Synth-san. I'm Ito Orasami."

Ito, the surname struck him instantly. "Do you know a man named Hideki?"

"Oh, you know my grandfather? Wait a minute…" She paused, thinking for a second then spoke out in realization. "Now I remember, my grandfather told me someone would be coming over to our home for about a week."

"Yes, Ito-san has allowed me to stay at his home while our business arrangements and has even provided some money for a hotel I can go to afterwards once I leave. I have to go to some other places before I get on my flight back to Australia."

"I see, well we're heading to the same place, let's go together." Orasami said in a soft spoken tone. Roy happily obliged leaving the market with the woman and finding himself conversing for her through the entire walk without even truly realizing it. He discovered that it was not only easy to talk with the woman, but found that they apparently shared many of the same likes and dislikes despite being raised so differently. Though she didn't particularly care for such things, she was interested in knowing about his affiliations with guns and the rifles his father used. Orasami intently listened, like a school girl ready for class she may not like such things as guns but the stories that Roy had revolving around them tweaked her interest far more than even Roy would have expected from such a kind woman.

Arriving at her home, Hideki was already outside waving to them and calling to Roy. "I see you've met my granddaughter, Orasami. I thought she would've been home by now or at least before you came back."

Raising his hand, Roy replied casually, "It's nothing to worry about; we had a good time walking back here."

The blue haired man put his produce away, a small amount that only he wanted to buy. Truth be told, Hideki probably would've lent some of his own money for him to buy the food but Roy, having already been welcomed into the home, at least wish to collect these produce with his own money. He went back to his room, took a fresh red apple with him to snack on and sat at his desk with the laptop in front of him. Opening up his files, he began to work.

Time passed by without little notice, the young man having become engulfed in his work load. Eyes slanted in a stern business man, the apple he ate lay as nothing but a core on the napkin at his desk. It was boring but useful work, the kind of work that one had to get done now rather than later and once it was over it would be all worth it. Still, the old him, the child Roy would've stopped after ten minutes of working on such things. Simplistic types of work, long and tedious that would be done for hours in an office space.

"May I come in…?"

Orasami stood in front of the door, unsure if she was barging in on something important or if Roy wanted to be left alone. He beckoned her inside, saying "I don't mind at all, this is nothing but boring work anyways. Besides I really do need someone to talk to right now." Smiling she entered and again as he typed away on his computer, he found himself having a wonderful time with the woman. He found out that she was a studying at a local Japanese University to become a school teacher, something which had been her dream for quite a while. She had been born in Kyoto and lived there until she was nine years old when her parents were tragically killed in an accident and was then raised by her grandfather for her life until then. Once she finished her courses and graduated, she intended to live somewhere else so that she wouldn't be a burden to her grandfather's hospitality.

"You'll go a long way Orasami, kids will love you."

"Did you have any brothers or sisters as a child, Roy?"

Shaking his head, Roy said, "I was an only child growing up. My mother left my father because of family disputes and he's been raising me ever since then. I didn't have any siblings but I did have quite a few friends, some of them who may have had some negative impacts on me. My father knew this I think and so he practically forced me to start working with him and I think I have a lot to thank him for because of that. Unlike you I wasn't good enough to get into college but working with my father definitely helped me change the way I was."

"That's great to hear Roy…"

It wasn't the first time Roy had ever had some sort of connection with another girl. A guy like him had come and gone through a few girlfriends that were mostly finished after a month or two when it came to the truth that he just didn't find any of them interesting. Orasami was different, he wouldn't go as far as to say he liked her, he barely even knew her. But compared to the other girls he spoke to in his life, something was far different about this young woman. Firstly was the point that he actually enjoyed talking to her, she could keep his listening all the way through with her tales even when they were about things he didn't care about. It was the way she spoke; her intelligence and kindness with the added maturity that he himself learned to appreciate which he enjoyed so much. What he did want though, was to keep talking to her even after he had to leave.

Thus as the end of the week came by and Roy began packing his suitcase, he gave his own E- mail address to Orasami. "Feel free to contact me at any time, I had good time speaking with you Orasami."

"When will you be back?" She asked.

"I can't tell for certain, it might be a few months or even a year. I have other places I need to be unfortunately but I'll be sure to keep in touch with you."

"I had a good time with you too Roy. Please be safe and reply back to me soon."

He did as he said, they responded by mail long paragraphs of what was happening with each of them in their lives. Even without seeing each other, he felt a connection with her that he couldn't explain. Although a tedious long year went by, it was well worth it to see each other again.

* * *

><p>"Roy!" Orasami cried running over to him as he stepped off the plane and surprising him by embracing him tightly around the neck. "It's been so long since I've seen you. How have you been?" He laughed with good hearted intentions, pulling the small jacket tighter around him and flicking the strands of blue hair out of his eyes. "We've been speaking to each other for over a year Orasami, it's not like this is the first time we've met." She pouted cutely at him her face almost looking as if it was about to break into tears. Roy wasn't sure if she was really going to cry or if she was just was just a good actor. "I know that, but it's been a years since we've actually seen each other."<p>

"That is true…" Roy answered with a bemused smile.

"How long are you going to stay this time? I hope you can stay even longer than before."

"Actually…." Roy said, walking with her to her car. "…I plan on maybe finding a place somewhere in Japan and living here."

She ecstatically cried out at him. "That's wonderful Roy!"

"I'm not sure when though and even if I do, I'd still have to quite a bit of traveling to do."

"But still, it's good to know you'll be closer. But you didn't answer my question, how long are you going to be here until you have to leave?"

"Unfortunately I can't stay as long as I did before, four days tops I'm afraid." He noticed the pitiful look she gave him and added, "Don't worry about it, and remember I said I'll be moving here as soon as I could." She wasn't entirely convinced though her smile didn't change at all, friendly and welcoming she drove him to the new house she had bought with her grandfather's help. She had gotten her degree in education was currently working, just as she had wanted, as a teacher for an elementary school. Apparently she had insisted that he come to her home and not her grandfather's, stating that he was too busy with other things to be bothered. Roy sort of knew she just wanted to see him, not that it bothered him in the slightest. Though only a year had passed, Orasami had changed quite a bit since he had last seen her.

She had grown a bit, a few centimeters and her brown hair which once flowed down to her shoulders was now longer and pulled tightly into a thick pony tail. She wore a thin golden dress and matching boots that helped give her usual plain hair a special kind of sheen. Most importantly, her maturity already good before had become even better. No longer a girl studying for exams in at a University, was she now a full blown teacher who worked and earned a living.

Her home though the same sized story as her grandfather's was not as large in width or length. Frankly he wondered why a single woman would even need such a large home right now but for whatever reason she had, it was still nice. It had the same homely design that her Hideki's home had, a beautiful display of Japanese artwork on the walls that gave it a traditional feeling. But unlike Hideki's home, Orasami had added a few Western decorations as well, most definitely having been influenced by Synth when speaking to him. Though having started merely E-mailing each other, they soon began calling each other as well which is why she soon learned that he would be coming back, she made sure that he would be staying with her. Again he didn't mind and frankly he actually anticipated seeing her after a year of E-mails and phone calls.

* * *

><p>Roy hung over the bars of the balcony, looking at the night sky when the door opened up to reveal Orasami wearing a traditional blue Japanese kimono with an elegant flower design on it. Her hair usually held together in a ponytail was now loose, flowing just below her shoulder blades. "You're still awake Roy?" She asked pleasantly, stepping outside to meet him. "Oh? It's you Orasami I could say the same to you I thought you would be asleep by now. I didn't accidently wake you up did I?" The woman shook her head. "No but I woke up and went to get some water, I noticed you weren't in your room so I check and here's where I found you." She hung out on the edge of the balcony with him her, the light cool hair slightly blowing her hair around her face as the bright moon gleamed down upon them. The only sound being made was that of the night and the very faint calls of cars too far away to make any sort of difference.<p>

"The stars are pretty tonight, aren't they Roy?" Orasami said in a relatively soft and uneasy voice. It was new to Roy because she was usually so outspoken. He wondered if maybe something was wrong.

"There isn't, not really." She answered back, turning towards him but keeping her head low. "It's just that, you know we haven't gotten to see each other so long and, well you know it's…" She knew she was rambling on and quickly caught her breath, her hand reached out and grabbed Roy's own, holding it gently and still keeping her head bowed low. He was left in a state of uncertainty but something told him that Orasami wanted to tell him something very important. "This isn't like you Orasami, it seems like there's something you want to say."

She gripped his hand tighter, finally looking up at him and he saw even in the night that her face had gone deep red. It was oddly cute though the situation wasn't a time for him to laugh or point it out, she really did have something very important to tell him. "I have a question Roy, please be honest with me. Do you think maybe…" She turned away, looked around and again, if it wasn't for the fact that it seemed so important to her, Roy would have chuckled at how innocent and cute she looked. Gulping she breathed in and out again, attempting to collect her confidence. "…Do you think maybe I could be with you?" This time it was Roy's turn to go read in the face, somehow with the way she was acting both now and before this wasn't all that surprising but even he couldn't keep his face steady when she spoke to him. "Do you mean…?"

She grabbed his other hand, leaning closer and speaking in a tone full of want. "You know, when you first came here a year ago, I had a lot of fun with you. It was a short but we had so much in common. I loved all the things you had to tell me and I enjoyed it when we could talk even when you weren't here. This might not be a common thing for a woman to ask but…" This was it, the big one, one that she gripped his hands tightly as she got the full confidence she needed to tell him.

"...Will you marry me?" She had felt one huge weight leave her chest and another soon follow as she waited for Roy's answer. He had first looked at her strangely, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape that he quickly thought he may be have looked too surprised for his own good. Unlike Orasami, Roy was able to compose himself far quicker and thought deeply about the question. The feeling he had when he was around her, all the good times he had spent with her, speaking to her, those great times that he enjoyed so much. Only now could he truly say with truth that he loved her. He did think about it though, he had matured too much to give an answer right away but the answered was already ready even before he had time to think. He might have had the answer ready the first time they met at the market a year ago. Yet as she stood there with an almost pleading look in her eyes, he knew that he did indeed want to spend the rest of his life with her. This time he gripped her hands, smiling at her that made her heart dance with indescribable joy.

"Of course. Orasami, I would love nothing more than to be there for you. I wasn't really sure but now I know for certain that I truly love you." The words, the very ones she wanted to hear had been said directly to her. He didn't stop her from crying, the tears of joy spilling from her face and the smile crept over. Unable to hold in her emotions any longer, she embraced the Australian, hugging him deeply with the wind still blowing freely around them. Her legs moved towards the door, still holding on to him as if thinking he'd disappear if she let go. He helped her, at least opening the screen door for them to step into back into the warm home before he too wrapped his hands around her waist. There as they closed the door behind them and leave them in silence, they reached over and placed their lips softly against one another.

They were married two months later, a wedding that took place in his home country of Sydney. She had been more than excited to arrive there, having never been outside her own country and Roy was reminded of himself and how he was when he arrived to a new place and was completely ignorant of the customs. She meant well though and seeing her in a stunning white dress made her even more beautiful than she already was to him. As a married man, he spent less time traveling until ultimately deciding that going on the long trips was too much hassle on a newly wedded man and his wife. Although Orasami did insist that they at least take one week of a vacation to another country, knowing how much Roy did enjoy traveling and the places he got to see. Agreeing on traveling to Germany it was there that they consummated their love and a year later, their son Koroh Synth was born.

Their son was the pride and joy of his life, the product of his everlasting love for the woman he married. He shared many of his father's traits, including being reckless as a child, highly curious though without any blue hair. That part he clearly taken from his mother and honestly the last thing Koroh needed was have hair that made him look like a hooligan. His father had already been that as a child, no need for the son to follow in those footsteps. Incredibly playful, the small boy made friends easily, playing outside with the other children and definitely due to his mother, often found himself reading and studying. Roy was a bit more lenient with him, sometimes letting him get away with a few things that his wife chastised him for. But there was no doubt that he was happier than he ever been in his entire life.

Then when Koroh was four years old, something happened.

* * *

><p>"Hm? Koroh, are you feeling alright?" Roy asked noticing his son tottering over into the room with his face red and sweaty. Orasami walked up to him, placing her hand on his forehead as he collapsed into her arms with his eyes half way open. "He's burning up!" She cried out. Hearing it, Roy firstly went to get a cold rag for Orasami then called a doctor for them to come over. When he arrived, the old man did everything, checked his pulse and then gave him some medicine stating that the boy probably came down with a severe cold or even pneumonia and should stay in bed as well as giving them a few other necessities to him better.<p>

"How long do you think this will last?" Orasami questioned desperately. The doctor pushed his glasses up and muttered. "It depends, if it was just a light cold I'd give him a week tops to spend in bed. However it seems he caught something bad, he might have to red for about a month." Gasping and covering her mouth, Orasami glanced over at her boy now sleeping on his bed, the expression of worry plastered all over her face. Roy held her, comforting him in his arm while laying his hand upon his son's face. "He may be very sick right now, but with today's medicine people with pneumonia may have to stay bed ridden for a while but they almost always get better. Your son doesn't have any sort of problems with his immunity does he?"

The woman shook her head.

"That's good then, as long he takes his medicine and stays in bed, you should start noticing some improvement in at least three weeks."

Orasami sighed in relief, glad to hear at least some good news. The doctor left them and after a month Koroh did indeed get better. At the end he even jumped into his mother's arms, hugged her happily and was ready to head back outside where his friends were surely missing him. Yet despite getting better, or seemingly so, something was very old. Both of his parents at first didn't know for sure or were unaware but there was definitely something very different odd about him. He began to have frequent coughing fits not only in the winter but in every season, every month and at first it was only monthly but then it became weekly. It wasn't anything bad at first, light coughs that could easily be ignored or just assumed to be allergies at the very least. Then Koroh's muscles became weak and atrophied, he had trouble walking and tired easily even after going a few distances. Orasami, unsure of what to do, began changing his diet, trying to add more healthy foods despite the fact that he was already eating healthily in the first place. When the young boy's hair suddenly began to turn white as paper, action had to be taken.

This time, they took him to the emergency room of the hospital where the boy sat on the table for the physician to check him out. "This doesn't look good." The man muttered, telling Koroh to open his mouth up and then taking a sample of his blood for testing. "What do you mean, it doesn't look good?" Orasami whimpered nervously holding Roy's hand.

"We'll have to wait for the blood tests to come back to be sure but from what I can tell, your son seems to have quite a bit of extensive damage to his inner body. Again I can't tell the exact cause until we get the blood tests."

"How long will that take?" Roy asked desperately.

"It might be about a week, I'll give you guys some medication that hopefully will help somewhat. Otherwise he should try to remain in bed and not do too much activity." The look on the parents face was heart wrenchingly painful but they listened, taking Koroh with them who assumed correctly that he would not be playing outside again for a long time, if at all. "Mama, Papa, can we go somewhere today?" He asked smiling at his parents. "The doctor said I had to stay in bed for a while, so before I do, can we go out somewhere."

Orasami gazed at her husband and asked, "Do you think it would be fine, Roy?"

"Let's not stay too long mate, but if you want to go somewhere for today I don't see why we shouldn't." His son gleefully cried at his father's response heading out with his parents for one last day of enjoyment.

* * *

><p>Orlana walked into the restaurant, her name being called to by a large man with half his hair shaved. She kept one eye open, it's gaze piercing and determined, a severe look of a woman who was not to be trifled with. The other was kept calmly shut, thus she strode with a perpetual wink. She sat at the table that she was called towards, saying hello to Vorono and Julius who kept his features hidden behind the large brown hat he always wore. "If you don't mind me asking, how are things going right now?" Vorono asked his female colleague.<p>

"Morotisan had me use the Clock Stopper again on Elrya Alya. That girl sure does get emotional a lot doesn't she? How are you able to get her trust so easily Girikuson?"

"It wasn't easy I'll tell you, I guess I'm just easy to trust."

"I see, you sure are quiet there Julius." Orlana now said to the male Diclonius who replied back nonchalantly. "I have no reason to talk right now, if you people want to, go ahead." Neither of them questioned him and they both ordered something to drink before the final "guest" arrived to the seating. Vladimir wore a heavy brown suit, his golden hair slicked backwards. His rods which would usually be sticking in his shoulders and neck were nowhere to be seen. It was the first time they had ever seen him in such casual clothing and it was a bit of startle for them. Most of them glared at him except for Julius whose expression remained passive and unconcerned. The Twisted Relic pulled from his pockets two envelopes and gave them to Girikuson and Zeruda. Girikuson having received them before, kept his closed but Orlana, understandably skeptical at the time, opened hers to see her item. She was rewarded with a relatively gracious amount of money, the spoils of her actions as an assassin. She doubled check it, for any sign of fake possibilities.

"Don't worry Orlana, it's all real." Vorono said calmly. Hearing those words, Orlana put the money back in the envelope.

Julius whose specific desires did not require the yearning of money, did not receive any sort of gifts from the tyrant. Cents ordered from the waiter a bottle of champagne, the only drink he ever seemed to have. He poured himself a healthy fill and raised his glass, toasting, "…To the completion of all our desires!" Nobody raised their glass leaving Cents to hang his up in the air in lonesome. The man only smirked and chuckled, expressing in a simplistically jovial tone, "You all need to stop being so fretting all the time." Draining the first glass in only a few gulps, he again poured himself a fine serving of alcohol, and drained half the glass that time. Setting it back down, the man folded his hands, cracking the knuckles of his fingers casually.

"Clock Stopper!" He called out, catching the woman's attention. "What is it, Cents?"

"Nothing, I'm just curious on how your day has been. Tell me, what have you been up to these past few days? Besides the assassinations, that I already know. Tell me about your days before that though, been anywhere interesting? Met any interesting people on your travels? I believe you said you were from Turkey right, how is that place?"

Again Orlana didn't answer; in fact she looked rather livid. Vladimir turned his attention to Vorono, again taking a deep swig of his drink and then pouring him another serving. "What about you Tank, have you done anything of interest these past few days, months; it's been years since our little group was created, you must've done some interesting things since the war?"

Like Orlana, Vorono refused to give Cents the satisfaction of any answer.

"Zero Point, certainly you've got some interesting stories to tell me?"

"There is nothing." Julius said informally.

Vladimir Cents sighed, the fourth glass drained and refilled. He calmly held the handle of it, letting the alcoholic liquid sway around in a circular fashion. "Good grief! You three really are boring today aren't you? I got all fancied up, wore a suit and even took out my rods. Do you realize how difficult it is to put those in and take them out?" Laughing out loud, the others didn't even bother to look at him anymore. That was until Cents laid his hands on the table and folded them, leaning forward and speaking in a low tone. "I'm currently interested in finding one more member for our group; I still have another coin left for use." He pulled it out, turning it around then putting it away. He then took out three parchments and gave them to the three members. "These are your next assignments, get them done and you will have you rewards as promised, just like today."

He turned his attention to Vorono, addressing him directly. "I have a favor to ask. Can you see if Garder would be willing to hand over two or three of those lovely little horned girls for me to use?"

"Hm? Why is that?' Vorono asked uncertainly.

"As I already told you, I am looking for a new member and once I find one, I wish to test them out." He finished the fifth glass, pushed himself back into a more comfortable position and uttered coolly. "I have nothing else to say to you all, feel free to leave and get on with your given assignments." They were more than glad to leave, especially Vorono and Orlana though Julius only left out of the sheer point that being in the restraint would only be a bore to him. Cents stayed though, his dark smile not once having left his face as he sipped upon his drink in silence, rolling his own specific coin in his mouth. "I wonder…" he thought amusingly, his hand flowing down to the hidden pistol inside his suit, a single bullet ready for his own sick enjoyment. "…What I'll be doing today?" His blood red eyes glanced around the room, looking at the men, women and children oblivious of the fact that most dangerous man in the world was currently in the same room as them. A man who nearly put the world into ruin for the sake of his own twisted desires. He eyed one small girl, so happy, so carefully happy but he decided against it. "…No, not here, not now. Besides…" The sixth glass and final glass was drained, an empty bottle now sitting next to it. "…The drinks here are quite delicious…" He didn't leave yet, instead opting to sit at his seat and mused things over inside his head. It was only after another fifteen minutes and another full bottle of champagne, which thanks to chemicals he had injected into body, he never attained the alcoholic effects of the beverage, that he decided to go. He paid for his drinks and even asked the manager if it would be possible for him to have a bottle to go, going as far as compliment him for providing such a wonderful swill.

Outside, his murderous intentions were growing; the sensation of murder that he could not seem to control was now rushing through his horrible veins. He wanted to kill, to see someone in suffering and laugh at their misery. Everyone around him, pitiful people who didn't know the hell that was around them, but what did catch his eye was a man with strikingly blue hair walking into a store with what he assumed to be his wife and son. His blood colored eyes widened maliciously as he smoothly caressed the single bullet pistol within his suit, his tongue licked the edges of his lips obscenely. An interesting choice, almost symbolic as if such a meeting was destined, he slowly moved away, pretending to be interested in some mundane thing like a sign as he waited. Something about this one was just beckoning him to wait it out and then, oh the feeling of terror that would be installed would be amazing.

Luckily for him and unluckily for Roy and his family, they came out sooner than expected. "Koroh, you've already brought what you wanted, we need to get you home and in bed now." The woman called out into the store. Vladimir, nudging himself between the groups of people, slowly pulled out his gun, holding it waist length and bringing it out just enough so that he could get a clear shot on her. She was fairly pretty woman, he could see why the man was married to her if by looks alone and it reminded him of someone else though he couldn't necessarily put his mind to it. He had seen thousands of people, men, women and children, so it wasn't odd for him to see a face that was familiar to him in some way. His fingers closed around the trigger, aiming carefully as he could so that it was directly upon her head, ready to murder at the slightest provocation. Cents had to forcibly hold his own smile and laughter him, thus giving him odd shakes that would've given his plan away.

Murder, death, pain, screaming, all of it was like a drug to him. Killing people, hearing them cry, feeling their pain, feeling his own pain, it was splendid. Because that was the kind of person he was, the person he couldn't understand and thus, he desired to make a world that would understand it instead. These foolish dreamers living their lives like rats, unable to appreciate the true meaning of desires and what it meant.

Swallowing only to choke down his insatiable urge to burst out laughing, he pulled the trigger.

***KABAM!***

People already cried out before it reached her and then, Orasami Synth felt for the briefest moment, the impact of the .45 caliber bullet against her head. For the next, briefest of moments, she felt pain, a severe, harsh but gladly quick pain. The last thing her dying mind could must was seeing the sidewalk, the hazy outline of people and a speck of red that blew past her eye. Her body fell with a thud to the ground, a red smear splattering the pavement from her head.

Roy at first wasn't even aware that his wife was shot. He heard the gunshot, knowing the effects quite well and when the other people started running, he tried to grab his wife's arm and pulled her to safety back inside the store. Fingers catching air, he turned around, wondering where she was until he finally looked down.

"ORASAMI!" It was not happening, it was clearly not happening. This woman, a tragic victim she may be, was not his wife he had learned to love and adore since he had met her. Dropping to his knees, he cradled her head, worthlessly attempting to rub the blood off as if it was a condiment stain. Her eyes stared in opposite directions, mouth slightly agape with a trickle of blood running down the side. "No! No! No! No! No! Orasami! Orasami!" What sick fate had decided this against him? He continued to cradle his wife's body, her bleeding head against his knees before his son wandered out aimlessly. "STAY IN THERE!" The roars of his father scared the boy, it had to, after all he had already lost one important person in his life.

"Help! Someone help!" But nobody could help, nobody could help the poor man who sobbed uncontrollably while holding his wife's dead body. "No! No! No! Wake up Orasami, please wake up! Ahhhhh! Ah! Ahhh!" Roy completely broke down at that point, clutching her body and holding it against his chest, he felt miserable a tiny speck of insignificance and everything was against him. His mouth open and Cents' eyes widened almost in surprise as the man started to bite against his own arm, his own teeth tearing into his skin in utter misery.

"WHERE ARE YOU!" Unable to hold it in, Roy knew his wife had been murdered and turned around, hoping to see the face of the man who murdered Orasami. He was so pathetically pitiful, a man in the throes of absolute suffering. Roy didn't see him, the people running and screaming around obscuring his presence. Vladimir Cents felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach and rising to the top of his throat. It grew hotter, too hot for his own good and with his face set almost as if he was just as shocked as Roy, he hurried away, another figure in the overwhelming crowd.

Away from the bustling location, near a small wooded area and alone, Cents' hand grasped his face as if he was going to be sick. He stumbled a bit, dropping his bottle of liquor and falling against the tree while sticking one hand out to hold his balance. "Oomph..mmmmhmm…" With his hand still covering his mouth, the sound came out muffled and unintelligible, a murmur of something dark trying to escape his lips. "Guah…huh…hmhmhm…" And then he could take it no longer.

"**KYA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! GUAH HA HA HA HA HA! SHAA! SHAHAHAHAHA! HA! HA!" **In fit of hysteria, The Twisted Relic threw back his head and laughed perhaps the hardest he had ever laughed in his entire life. His mouth was wide, spit flying out and his laughter insatiable. **"HA! HA! HAHAHAH! HAHAHAHA! HA! HA! HA!" **The look on the man's face, the pure look of suffering was more intoxicating than any champagne he could ever hope to gulp down. His eyes, fear, hatred and pain rolled on into one while the tears streamed down. He wanted to sip on it, to drain those tears out of the sheer agony it would cause the bastard. **"KA HA HAHAHAH! HA! HA! HA! SHAA! HAHAHAHAHA!" **

It was a full five minutes before he even began to slow down his brutal laughter.


	30. The Endless Path Of Compositions

**_Pinpoint Zero_  
><strong>

**Chapter 30: The Endless Path Of Compositions **

Koroh's illness never subsided and he was ultimately placed in extensive care, unable to ever leave the hospital room again. His body was full of life and energy became dreadfully weak. His skin turned sickeningly yellow and his coughs spat blood every once in a while. A combination of several cancers plus other ailments forced the poor child into a position of decline. The only thing the doctors could do is provide minor medication to at least lessen the pain. His time was short and growing shorter, a specialized medicine was available though it was out of reach of the Japanese medical field. Worse, the payment for such medication was absurd, way beyond anything Roy could ever have afforded. That very medicine was the key to Koroh's health and it was forcibly out of his reach.

He had the death of his wife looked into, talked to the authorities and yet nothing was found. While he desperately wished for his wife's murderer to be found, he had to focus more on the welfare of his son. He more than once thought, that he was being used, that Orasami's murder and son's sickness were somehow related. He had to sometimes prevent himself from lashing out at the doctors and nurses taking care of his son, demanding that they give him the medicine right now. It was the feel of despair, unable to do anything but hope and pray that a miracle could happen. The longer it took, the shorter Koroh's life drained away. He had lost his own wife in such a short time, the very woman he loved most of all. If he lost his only son, he didn't know what he would do.

Thus, his life would truly change four days later, when he would become an assassin.

Vladimir leaned against the wall, arms crossed with the lower half of his face hidden in shadows. Eyes peering out from the shade, he watched the people pass by. As if bored, he yawned, craning his neck and massaging his shoulders, gathering a good amount of attention, mostly due to his rods sticking inside his body. People didn't question it; rather they didn't want to, suspecting the man to be some sort of outcast. There was no point in talking to an invalid after all.

"Huh?" Something tweaked his attention, the very sight of the blue haired man whose wife he had killed lent a smile to his face. There was no way he could resist, speaking to Roy now.

"Yo! Wonderful afternoon we're having aren't we?" He called out, waving over to the broken man who tried to return it out of respect but couldn't find the emotional support to do so. He might have left had he not noticed Cents, his chaotic appearance freezing him on the spot. Cents could see the absolute look of despair on the man's face, such an intoxicatingly sweet thing. "You don't look so good my friend, had a bad day did we?"

"You could say that…" He didn't want to be rude, but Roy had no time nor want to speak to this man. There were far more pressing matters and having a conversation with what seemed like a human pincushion. Had he not been so miserable, he may have questioned why the man even looked like that. "Sorry but I can't talk right now." As he turned to leave, Cents called out to him. "Don't be like that; I might be able to help you."

"Can you get me over 700,000 Yen?" Roy answered nonchalantly.

"…I might."

He stopped, a pause as if time itself had suddenly quit. Turning around he asked in an almost desperate tone, "What did you say?" Vladimir his head turned away smiled calmly into the sky, flexing his fingers so that the bones snapped ominously. "You need money right? A lot of it, seems like something happened with you. You also seem quite desperate right now too, I might be able to help you." Rushing over, Roy grabbed the man by the scruff of his clothes, surprisingly actually and lifting him up, though his face displayed not anger but desire and desperation.

"What do you mean!? What kind of job are you talking about!?" He shook him fervently before Cents was able to answer back in his cool voice. "That depends; there are two things that I ask of you. The first thing is how far you might be willing to go; the job I express is not for the weak of heart. The group I lead is part of a secret assassination group. Do you understand what that means? If you join my group, killing will be in your contract."

"What…?" He barely managed to speak the words, a shiver now running through his spine. Vladimir calmly pushed himself out of his grip, brushing himself off and turning around, raising his hand head level to the side. "You will be given specific jobs, people to kill and you will earn your pay afterwards. I am not forcing you to join but I will say this, if you do come, do not get close to anyone, you might end up having to end their lives. But if you are able to control yourself, able to break yourself away from mundane things like compassion and spill blood for the sake of money, you might be a valuable asset to us. It's really up to you though, again I won't force anything on you either."

Roy looked away, swallowing deeply before inquiring in a low tone. "How much will I be paid?"

"It depends on the work and the amount of assassinations we need done. Some months are good some months are bad. I can promise you this though, do a good job and you'll earn what you want. But there is also a second catch, one even more important than just killing. It is the fine print of this job description that must be acknowledged until the very day you cease to breathe.

You must have a desire, a single unwavering desire for something. You must have this desire above all else, no matter what happens to you, no matter what force goes against you, you will have this desire.

Do you have one? Do you have a desire, one that you will choose above anything else?"

…

…

"Am I…really going to do this? Am I really going to end up being some sort of killer just to save my son? I can't…" He thought heavily, shaking his head and placing his hand against his face, letting the sweat run between his fingers. But then again, where else was he going to go? The world had ravaged him, turned his compassionate mind into a desperately seeking madman who for good cause now searched for a way to save his own son, even if it meant destroying the good inside of him. There were two people in his life that he treasured, his now deceased wife Orasami and his dying son Koroh. He had already lost one of them, he could not bear to lose the other. Indeed his greatest desire was to save his son and he was willing to do anything for him. Even if that meant having to kill others to save him, because if he lost him he might not be able to keep on living. He might end up killing people anyways, a way to vent his frustration out on the world.

At least with this violent looking man, he would have a purpose in his life. Killing to save, to earn the money needed for the operation. Time was running out for the poor boy who slept in the hospital. Yet he knew that both his son and his late wife would never have approved of it, he himself couldn't approve of it either. He didn't know who this man was, why he was in a business of killing and frankly he could hardly care less. At any other point he would've declined instantly, tried to get away and even have called the police. But this was a different, the kind of difference in which the world doesn't revolve around right or wrong. The bastards in the world kept this medicine to themselves while others were dying, ungrateful fools.

He couldn't earn it the right way, hell it was impossible to earn it the right or legal way. So was he willing to go this far, to save another?

"…I…" He began.

"Take your time, if you have such a thing." Cents muttered, beginning to walk away.

"Wait!" Calling out, Vlad stopped, turning his head and smiling over at him. "If I do this, if I end up having to…kill people…you will give me what I want right? This isn't some sick joke and you're just using me for something right?"

"There are other members, speak to them if you want. The choice is yours, what will it be then, good sir?"

…

…

"…Alright…" He breathed, feeling more defeated than he ever did before. "I'll do it, I have no choice. Just tell me, what I need to do."

Clapping his hands jovially, Cents replied in what appeared to be a surprisingly grateful tone. "That is splendid to hear Mr…what was your name?"

"…It's Roy Synth." The blue haired man muttered after a nervous pause. At this point he might as well keep going, there was no turning back now.

"Roy Synth eh? What a quaint name you have. Well Synth, I have a little job for you. Thank of it as initiation to the group. See if you're truly prepared for what lies ahead."

"You mean killing people right?" Roy asked.

"…Partly." It was the only answer Cents gave. "Oh I guess I should introduce myself, would be rude of me not to." He turned around, faced the man and went into a deep bow, hand behind his back and hand in front of his chest, bending low while the dark grin remained etched upon his face. "Leader. First Cent, The Incorrigible…Vladimir Cents." The name struck him, the name he had heard before as a child in Australia when there was a war going on in Europe. He wasn't keen on it, Vladimir's reign having never transpired into such a faraway continent.

Roy felt an uneasy sensation growing inside him. "Vladimir…Cents…? I've heard about you, the man many years ago who…"

"Attempted to take over the world and plunge it into eternal suffering. Aye you know well my boy; unfortunately my conquest was cut short, though not completely. That is who I am, the man who nearly sent the world into turmoil."

Already Roy was beginning to regret his decision, if all the things he knew about this man were true, he was getting himself into something far worse than he may have expected. This man was not just some evil person, there was some twisted about him, something simple words couldn't describe. He was a menace, a dark design on the Earth and had he thought about it, maybe asked some questions, he may have figured out far sooner the perpetrator of his wife's murder. Still, he was perhaps lucky he didn't, he may not have lived passed that moment if he did. If there was one thing he did know, it was the fact that he was face to face with a dangerous man, one if not the most dangerous in the world. A man who was very much alive and had currently offered him employment.

Employment of murder.

…And he had accepted it.

Turning back now was impossible, he wouldn't be allowed to leave this time. The only place now was forward, through the long, widening road of unforgettable turmoil.

* * *

><p>Roy following nervously behind. He had brought him to what appeared to be a simple building, pure white with what seemed to be a description of human biology study at the front. He wondered if he would be killing people here, maybe even do some sick science experiments on their bodies. His mind was running wild, full of tormenting thoughts before another young man came out. He was slightly younger than Roy, wearing a red vest and a large wide brimmed brown hat that obscured most of his face in shadows. His eyes were deep red, almost as bloody looking as Vladimir's though instead of holding chaotic delight, they instead looked normal, bored really. The man didn't greet Cents with the same jovial tone as his leader, but he did nod his head in his direction if only to grant him that much respect, or maybe it was just clarification.<p>

"Who is he?" Julius questioned.

Roy felt the man's thick hand slap him on the shoulder. "This is Roy Synth he may be our final member. I told Garder to collect me a few gifts, we're going to let our young man try them out."

Julius scanned Roy's body then turned away. "Follow me." Vladimir of course couldn't walk through the facility unassisted; he would attract too much attention. The man brought them down into the basement, down into a large corridor where a single door was there, ominously alone and dimly lit inside. Before it was another group of people, Two men and a young woman. The first man was vastly large, yet muscular, his eyes hard set though surprisingly gentle. The other man was an elderly person, wearing a thick brown coat with his eyes currently closed and hidden behind a pair of thin spectacles. His face was hard, his long black hair flowing down his neck near shoulder level and starting to grey around the edges. Though not as muscular as the other man, Roy could easily see the muscle mass in the legs and arms of the man. The woman small in stature was beautiful but stern in her looks. She may have been nice before, may have still been nice, but he could tell this was not a woman he would ever want to trifle with.

Vladimir moved to the side, passing his arm out like some gentlemen allowing another person to get in front of him. Each step was dragged forward, sliding mundanely on the ground before reaching the door. The old man he had seen finally spoke, his voice ominously dark, as if any signs of joy or happiness had been drained away from it. It was also the time he finally opened his eyes and he saw the dark gloom in the black slits. "I assume Cents had clarified you on what is going on?"

"You are, part of an assassination group right?"

In true Vladimir Cents fashion, the man had told Roy just enough to get the general idea across but not enough for it to make much sense. "That is true, once you enter this door, you will not be able to leave. The room before you is an obstacle course, three types of guns are in place. You have four targets that must be killed."

"…And if I fail?"

"You will die." Garder answered the man's question without pause.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he could only image what was before him. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Good luck." It was the man with the strange half shaved head and he sounded legitimately truthful in his words. Besides Cents who smiled from behind, everyone else gave him frowns in which he couldn't tell if they were being neutral or denied his ability to cope in the situation. Thinking about his own son, he stepped through the door and heard it close behind him.

He assumed the room he entered was rectangular in shape overall but it was impossible to tell from initial appearance. Steel boxes lay out, some alone, some stacked together and others thrown messily around with a bit of care. The walls were tinged with grey, not like the pristine walls of the upper floor that he had been on before and the lights were dim, giving just enough light for him to see. Three different hallways lead out to two different directions for each one in front, leading to almost a maze. "Koroh…" Roy whispered the name painfully, gazed right then left before seeing on the wall, glistening as only something cold could, a .45 caliber silver pistol. He was supposed to kill people with this thing, he had never killed anything more than deer in his life and had done so for the purpose of using the deer as well. He never actually killed something just to kill it.

Taking it, he held it firmly, checking each part and making sure it was loaded. While he was more use to rifles, he had enough knowledge on hand guns to know how to use them. There were seven bullets inside meaning if he missed with those, he would have to find the other weapons. He expected his opponents to be armed, holding similar weapons and prepared to kill him just as he was to kill them. Maybe this was initiation for more than one person, last one standing. He kept his senses in tight alert, standing near a wall of crates and opting to take the right tunnel. He could hear footsteps, soft as if someone wasn't wearing footwear. He couldn't hear anything else, the sound of a gun, or even the movement of clothing if possible. But it was close, just behind the crates. Closing around the edge, he gripped the gun, and then bent down low. If the person there had a weapon, he or she would instinctively aim upwards, to the chest or head. Denying all that made his life, denying the dreams he had once gone for and the desires that now replaced them, he threw himself out, offered a mental prayer of forgiveness that lasted a second and then aimed the gun.

So many things stopped him from shooting it would be impossible to name them all. But most certainly the first thing that stopped him was the fact that he was facing a child, an unarmed, completely naked girl of about five years old, her eyes as red as the man in the brown hat and her pink hair sunk over her face so that only her red eyes, devilish looking things, starred at him. While Roy looked startled, the girl instead gazed at him with a combination of anger and if possible unconcerned. Even the sight of the gun didn't faze her, almost as if she didn't recognize it. Maybe she didn't, she was very young that was certain but the look she gave him was undeniably that of a murderer.

The second thing that stopped him was her looks. Her red eyes and vivid pink hair, as well as being stark nude were surprising and would've been enough stop him anyways, but it was the abnormal structures on her head that were most jarring. He had first though them some strange ears, closer inspection, as much as the dim room would allow, made them look harder, almost like horns. He had expected to kill adults, a child made it much worse but with thoughts of his own son still flowing through his memory, he got up, aimed and expressed a silent whisper of apology before pulling the trigger.

The gun went off and suddenly vanished along with a stream of blood that flew too close to his face. His shoulder also hurt and numbing sensation ran down his arm so that he couldn't feel it anymore. The splatter had been too close to have come from the child and there was no wound on her, she hadn't even moved from her spot. Pain was building up again, hidden behind a veil of confusion as Roy wondered why the girl was still alive. He hadn't seen it clearly, something had flown in front of his face along with the splatter, unable to determine where his bullet had ventured off towards.

Roy tried to raise the gun again, visibly forcing him to move his arm which didn't seem to want to move. "Damn what's going…?" He though, looking down and seeing his gun, and his arm currently laying on the ground while the stump bled out inconsistently. "What…?" Now that he noticed it, the pain hit a level beyond imagination. The skin, muscle, bone, every tendon and ligament that was part of his left arm had been sliced off by something. Not even the sharpest of swords could induce a wound of that perfected caliber. "SHIT!" His own adrenaline rushing through his body was the only thing keeping him conscious and that wouldn't last long. Instinctively grabbing the gun, he threw himself behind the crates again and looked around, unable to believe that his arm had been sliced away by a girl doing literally nothing. Maybe it was set up and the others were around to finish him off. But what had attacked him, no weapon he knew, not even the sharpest of blades could make a cut so perfect.

"Was it…fuck…her!?" No time to think, he lunged forward and fired without thinking. This time he saw what happened and it did nothing to ease himself. The shots fired appeared to reflect off thin air around her, none coming close to even moving a hair off of her. "What the fuck?" He said softly, emptying the seven loaded cartridge and in an act of desperation threw the pistol which was bounced off of her just as simply. He was scared, no denying that, he was a brave man in most regards, not one to be frightened easily but this went beyond normality. This wasn't a normal girl and what cut his arm off, what the hell that might have been, wasn't normal as well. She took a step forward and he took a step back and he knew, right there as the blood rushed from his brain to the empty socket that he had to keep his distance.

Somehow he knew, that a set distance was there between him and her and if he let her close it, he would be instantaneously murdered. "Haa! Haa! Fuck!" Now the blood loss was getting to him and he had used up all of his bullets in a mad attempt to kill her. This thing with horns was not normal and he was in the midst of killer. Facing her was impossible, he yelled not of fright but to get his heart pumping excess blood to the brain and moving his shaky legs to sprint across the hallway.

New gun! New weapon! He looked around, for something ,for anything, a gun, a knife anything to help him. She was coming for him, this little girl who could do the impossible was coming for him. He had to stop her, and to stop them, had to do something. Impossible, how did you stop something like that? "Shit! Shit! Fucking shit I was…!" Was what exactly? Even he didn't know anymore, instinct and desperation was the only thing moving his bleeding body now.

He half ran, half dragged his limp body around, holding his bleeding stump and though of course he couldn't see it, his skin paled greatly. Find the gun, find a weapon, find anything before he was murdered. How could he die, his son would never find out in the end, they may even leave his corpse to rot in here. "…Shit…" He cured again, his eyes faded with blood loss but able to see a figure, older this time but a girl naked and horned like the other. He assumed like the other that if he went towards her, he would be killed. If they could cut an arm off, they could most certainly cut his head off.

And then he noticed it, on the wall almost beckoning him to grab it, was a large rifle. It was militaristic, shorter than what he was used to seeing in a rifle but still unmistakably one. He couldn't tell what kind it was, or maybe he had lost too much blood to properly look at it. Whatever, his mind didn't bother to think of that even if it could, he instantly grabbed it and threw himself backwards, unnecessarily though his anxiety, the only thing keeping him conscious refused to allow him to do things easily.

The good thing was, new as the rifle was to him; he still knew how to use it. It was the only good thing as far as he was concerned. The problems occurred straight afterwards and needless to say, he was aware of it the moment he saw it in the first place. Rifles were meant for two hands and while it was possible for a person to fire with a single hand, one of utter skill and strength, he couldn't risk it. The recoil from a weapon he knew little about besides the basics was something he wouldn't risk. The second point was the issue of it only having four bullets.

They were coming, no noise just footsteps, and straight towards him. Picking up the strength in his legs, he turned abruptly and kicked the steel crates as hard as he could, again and again until he threw them in a pile around him. He continued to go through it, leaving some intact but never leaving any open spaces, not that it would do much against the girls. Then instead of going forward, he retraced his steps, silently, trying to keep himself unheard and breathing raggedly. There as he hoped, as he planned and was an area between two boxes, like a crack large enough for him to set his gun on and point it through. It was small, the tip of the gun only just passing through it and he made sure not to push it all the way through.

Breathing too hard, he feared his presence would be known but he couldn't stop it. Then with a single intake of air, he held his breathe. Sweat poured profusely from his body as he leaned back to give himself ample space for comfort. Balance was now on his side but he tightened his firing arm just in case the recoil got the better of him. Now the only thing he could do was hope that when he fired, he would kill one of them. When they had noticed him, he could not hit them, oh how he hoped he could if they didn't.

"Hurry…and get the fuck over here." He thought, he couldn't hold his breathe any longer. He then watched as she began to pass him, stopping briefly before to look around. Bending the weapon towards from the bottom so that the muzzle turned up, he had to lean himself back to get properly balanced again. At her heart, he gently traced his finger on the trigger and waited for her to walk.

***KABLAM!***

Hit at the side, he hit her near the back end of her heart, the force shattering her spine and sending her reeling across the room as if she had been hit by a bomb. Her face didn't change, unable to even express a second of emotion before death finally took her down. Due to the force and way of the hit, half of her body had been nearly severed in half. For her own sake, her death had been quick enough to warrant very little pain.

For the first time, he had killed someone. A strange situation came over him, a determination as if he had gained four pints of blood. He knew only now with the three bullets left and three minutes tops before he went blank, he would have to kill them.

* * *

><p>Vladimir sat at the chair, watching the screens with a bemused smile as Roy fought the Diclonius, using different areas, skills and prowess to take them down from a distance, hiding and firing when they least expected it. Garder too watched, having to give the man a certain amount of respect. He had lost his arms, lost enough blood to at least go blind in one eye and his legs to become so numb that moving them would feel like having weights on them. Yet he remained calm, kept his concentration on high alert and killed each one. It wasn't the first time a human had ever killed a Diclonius but this may have been the first time a human did right after meeting one.<p>

"Interesting, with little knowledge of his opponent and faced with something he can't understand, he still managed to win." Vladimir spoke, mostly to himself. On screen Roy fell to the ground, his gun falling beside him and his eyes closed as he fired his last bullet and killed the last girl.

…

…

"Am I…alive?" Roy asked aloud as he opened his eyes, a large light nearly blinding him.

"You are, quite lucky in fact." Vorono stated matter of fact like, hovering over his left side. Doing so made him realize that his left arm was not there. But through instinct he tried to move it anyways and discovered not only could he not move it, no surprise there, he couldn't move his body much at all. He also couldn't feel any pain or relatively any feeling for that matter. He could only turn his head just far enough to look over at his left and what he saw shocked him. A second table was next to him in which the stump of his arm lay but something else was connected to it. Wires and circuitry ran through it, ending into the point of some muzzle like weapon, a gun of sorts though unlike any he had seen before. Connected by other wires and metal parts ending in a false flesh was a hand the reflexed under certain conditions though none under his own will power.

The questions he wanted to ask would be answered by the insane man who walked up towards him.

"How are you, Roy Synth?" Vladimir asked with what was either cold mocking or legitimate pride.

"…I…what…"

"You have passed with astounding colors, such desires is a great thing that I often do not see. You are being outfitted with technological advances that even some of the greater higher ups of the facilities do not know about. Specialized wires have been integrated into your brain, connecting to your spinal-cord and now flow through that weapon laying on your left." Hearing those, Roy felt sick, he had his arm ripped off and now he was being turned into some sort of cybernetic freak?

"Once the operation is complete, you will total dominance over that weapon including movement of the hand. The weapon in question is a brilliant design utilizing powerful sound waves for destruction. There is also another unique gift for you, courtesy of my respect for your overwhelming determination. He dropped a small bag by Roy's side which rattled noisily.

"These are bullets specifically crafted to work with the wires inside of your head. In short without needing a gun you can utilize these bullets as much as you want."

Then lastly, he brought out a single silver coin.

"This is the sign of your entrance into the group, the final member we have to join us. Your skills, determination and most of all your desires have seen fit to belong here.

…Welcome Fifth Cent, Roy Synth…The Sniper. Oh and to make you happier, here…" He placed on the desk beside Roy's bed a large amount of Yen, nowhere near enough to pay for the operation but enough to get his attention. "I usually don't hand out money so easily, but you impress me too much, I couldn't resist. The operation is still in succession and the coin will be placed into your arm for further preparation. Julius Javel, our young man in the hat will explain further of what's going on.

So, any questions?"

Roy nodded as best as he could. "What the hell…was I fighting? Those girls what were they? What cut off my arm?"

"They are known as Diclonius…" It was Garder who answered, walking up to Roy and looking down at him. The vast majority of them female, they are horned people with the ability of using invisible telekinetic hands capable of ripping things, people included apart. It is said that they are the biological evolutionary advancement of the human race. You took down four of them, something an untrained soldier himself would find difficulty in and you have thus gotten your reward…and consequences for doing so.

Your new life begins now, pray you did not make a mistake."

There was nothing else to be said, Roy would eventually become accustomed to his new life soon enough.

…

…

Garder sat at the front of his window, overlooking the bustling city of Tokyo. So this was how it all ended and how it all began. A General who fought won and lost a war and was turned into the personification of nihilism. His son-in-law killed by his technical co-worker, his daughter killed by himself, his granddaughter cast away into the pits of another hell, his brother murdered by him to keep the secrets safe and his niece, unknowingly related to him, never having even see him, currently residing in the facility he worked in. Elrya Alya had begun to kill a lot of careless people in the facility, he wondered how long he would be able to keep Jessica's promise about her.

The times before him would not become easy.

But he stood there, surrounded by his own regrets but unable to give in, always moving forward even if it meant sacrificing what he once held dear. A war between him and the Twisted relic that would last even after the war had finished over fifteen years ago. No the war hadn't finished, instead it continued on and more players joined the set.

Pinpoint Lifeline had been set and the ending results had come.

But he continued for that was his purpose.

The long, derelict and foreboding road of the man…

…Named Garder F. Morotisan."

**The End**

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: And thus we end the prequel of Pinpoint Zero, the story of Garder's past and how he became the way he did. I hope you've all enjoyed the story and continue reading Pinpoint Conviction.<p> 


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